WASHINGTON (AP) - The manufacturer of popular caffeinated
alcohol drink Four Loko has said it will remove the caffeine from
its products, pulling the blend off the market just as the Food and
Drug Administration is poised to ban it.
      Phusion Projects said in a statement posted on its website
Tuesday that the company will remove caffeine and two other
ingredients from its products going forward.
      The statement by the company's three co-founders says they are
taking this step after unsuccessfully trying to deal with what they
called "a difficult and politically-charged regulatory environment
at both the state and federal levels."
      The statement did not mention several recent incidents in which
students were hospitalized after drinking the beverage. The drink
has been banned in four states.
     
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