Monster brand energy drink may cause 5 deaths, market share 39% FDA investigation

Monster brand energy drink may cause 5 deaths, market share 39% FDA investigation The Federal Food and Drug Administration said on the 22nd that it is investigating possible links with Monster Beverage Company (M...

Monster brand energy drink may cause 5 deaths, market share 39% FDA investigation The federal Food and Drug Administration said on the 22nd that it was investigating five reports of deaths that may be related to Monster Beverage Corp.'s energy drinks. The family of a 14-year-old girl sued Monster Beverage Corp., saying the girl died after consuming two cans of Monster Beverage Energy within 24 hours. Monster said it did not believe its drink was responsible for the girl's death. The company issued a statement saying Monster had no knowledge of any of the deaths being caused by its drink. It said it would vigorously defend itself in court against the company, saying it failed to warn of the dangers of the product. The lawsuit, filed in California Supreme Court in Riverside, says Fournier went into cardiac arrest a few days later on Dec. 23, 2011, after drinking two 24-ounce cans of Monster. The agency has received five reports of deaths and one report of a heart attack related to Monster energy drinks from 2009 to June of this year, the agency said on Monday. Notifications of negative events in the agency's database do not constitute confirmation that a product poses a risk. Monster is the dominant energy drink in the United States, accounting for 39% of the market, but Austria's Red Bull drinks generate the most revenue because of its higher price. In July, the New York State Attorney General issued subpoenas against three energy drink companies – Monster, PepsiCo, and Living Essentials LLC – requesting the companies to provide information about their marketing and advertising. PepsiCo, which makes AMP Energy Drink, and Living Essentials LLC, which makes 5-Hour Energy.