Four Loko Alcoholic Drink To Lose Caffeine Jolt

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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