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Eloise Parry death: Amazon accused of selling guide on how to use deadly weight loss pills

A guide to the slimming drug that killed student Eloise Parry ten days ago, is on sale for under £1.50

Jessica Ware
Wednesday 22 April 2015 13:09 BST
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Eloise Parry, from Shrewsbury in Shropshire, died in hospital on 12 April
Eloise Parry, from Shrewsbury in Shropshire, died in hospital on 12 April (PA)

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A guidebook on how to use the deadly weight loss pills that caused a woman to “burn up from the inside” is on sale on Amazon UK for £1.46.

DNP: The world’s best diet and weight loss pill, by Elias Bickel is a 45-page long e-book that advises dieters on how to use the drug and where UK readers can buy it from.

Dinitrophenol, or DNP, killed a 21-year-old student ten days ago. Eloise Parry, from Shrewsbury in Shropshire, died after her metabolism went into overdrive and she “burned up from the inside,” her mother said.

In the book, DNP is promoted as “the most effective weight loss pill ever created,” but Dr Bickel does warn that if abused it can kill.

“You’ve probably already risked your life using unsafe diets and diet pills, but you’ve probably not been given the choice of using the most effective weight loss pill ever created,” the blurb reads.

Dr Bickel claims to have come across DNP while completing a PhD in food science in Asia and was “appalled” to find that it was not legal in America as a diet aid.

The book contains eleven pros and four cons and cites “stupidity” as being behind deaths linked to the drugs, the Times reported.

Reviewers have posted comments underneath the Amazon listing since Ms Parry’s death, warning that the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has linked the drug to five deaths since 2007.

Other commenters have left glowing reviews, calling it an “excellent source on the elusive and slightly scary weight loss drug.”

Ms Parry is believed to have bought the pills online for between £70 and £100. Before she died, she took eight in one go then drove herself to the hospital after she began feeling unwell.

Police have issued a warning about the dangers of buying slimming pills online, encouraging people to be “incredibly careful when purchasing medicine or supplements over the internet. Substances from unregistered websites could put your health at risk as they could be extremely harmful, out-of-date or fake.”

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