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FDA Announcement
Ladies,
This is all over the news here this morning:
FDA Takes Aim At Phony Cancer Cures
FDA Says Fake Cures Could Prevent Real Cancer Treatment
POSTED: 5:45 am EDT June 18, 2008
UPDATED: 5:51 am EDT June 18, 2008
WASHINGTON -- The federal government is cracking down on what it calls potentially deadly snake oil salesmen that tout phony cancer cures.
Would You Buy An Internet Cure?
The Food and Drug Administration said it is sending warning letters to 23 U.S. companies and two foreign individuals about products that they offer for sale on the Internet. The FDA said the products, which are not FDA-approved, claim to cure, treat or prevent cancer. One of the product's Web sites claims the substance cured a patient's skin cancer in three days.
The products contain such ingredients as bloodroot, shark cartilage, coral calcium, cesium, ellagic acid and a variety of mushrooms.
The FDA worries that people will buy such products rather than get proper treatment, or use them instead of treatments proven safe and effective. There's also the possibility that unproven products could interact with other drugs a patient is taking.
The FDA said if its letters are ignored, there could be criminal prosecution.
This is all over the news here this morning:
FDA Takes Aim At Phony Cancer Cures
FDA Says Fake Cures Could Prevent Real Cancer Treatment
POSTED: 5:45 am EDT June 18, 2008
UPDATED: 5:51 am EDT June 18, 2008
WASHINGTON -- The federal government is cracking down on what it calls potentially deadly snake oil salesmen that tout phony cancer cures.
Would You Buy An Internet Cure?
The Food and Drug Administration said it is sending warning letters to 23 U.S. companies and two foreign individuals about products that they offer for sale on the Internet. The FDA said the products, which are not FDA-approved, claim to cure, treat or prevent cancer. One of the product's Web sites claims the substance cured a patient's skin cancer in three days.
The products contain such ingredients as bloodroot, shark cartilage, coral calcium, cesium, ellagic acid and a variety of mushrooms.
The FDA worries that people will buy such products rather than get proper treatment, or use them instead of treatments proven safe and effective. There's also the possibility that unproven products could interact with other drugs a patient is taking.
The FDA said if its letters are ignored, there could be criminal prosecution.
That's pretty standard of the FDA, they do this all the time (in other words, it's not earth shattering). Law requires any claims at cures (or more precisely 'treatment') be backed up by clinical trials, FDA clinical trials to be precise. That is why nobody can say any drug, supplement, etc, is a treatment or cure without first completing a multi-million dollar FDA clinical trial that will last for 10 to 20 years.
What they are doing is telling these websites that they cannot claim cures from their products, which is correct. Most can correct the FDA letters by simply putting up the standard FDA disclaimer you find on vitamins you get at your local super market.
And let's specify what they state in the announcement:
"Because these products claim to cure, treat, mitigate or prevent disease, and these products have not been shown to be safe and effective for their labeled conditions of use, they are unapproved new drugs marketed in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act."
Reputable manufacturers and distributers do not claim this, in-fact they put up 'fda disclaimers'. Essentially, you find that one anything you take including vitamins, etc. When they say 'unapproved new drugs' they are right, 'approved new drugs' need to go through the fda clinical trials.
The list of those to avoid by the FDA are listed here: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/factsheets/fakecancercures.html
Yet, let's remember the FDA was against 'cures' or 'treatments' to include genestein (from soy), but now that's ok (well the drug version at least) because it's going through FDA clinical trials (and millions of dollars) :) It's always best to do your research, ask questions of others and your physician, and monitor if you use supplements. What these companies claimed to do was to make the cure better than conventional treatment which (as we know with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's wife who went to Mexico for such treatment and still died) is not approved or safe. Use of supplements WITH conventional treatment is not only common but widespread and safe if done correctly...you have to know what is ok and what is not. This is known as 'adjunct' treatment meanting you are taking it along with conventional treatment, but not to exclude conventional treatment.
What they are doing is telling these websites that they cannot claim cures from their products, which is correct. Most can correct the FDA letters by simply putting up the standard FDA disclaimer you find on vitamins you get at your local super market.
And let's specify what they state in the announcement:
"Because these products claim to cure, treat, mitigate or prevent disease, and these products have not been shown to be safe and effective for their labeled conditions of use, they are unapproved new drugs marketed in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act."
Reputable manufacturers and distributers do not claim this, in-fact they put up 'fda disclaimers'. Essentially, you find that one anything you take including vitamins, etc. When they say 'unapproved new drugs' they are right, 'approved new drugs' need to go through the fda clinical trials.
The list of those to avoid by the FDA are listed here: http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/factsheets/fakecancercures.html
Yet, let's remember the FDA was against 'cures' or 'treatments' to include genestein (from soy), but now that's ok (well the drug version at least) because it's going through FDA clinical trials (and millions of dollars) :) It's always best to do your research, ask questions of others and your physician, and monitor if you use supplements. What these companies claimed to do was to make the cure better than conventional treatment which (as we know with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's wife who went to Mexico for such treatment and still died) is not approved or safe. Use of supplements WITH conventional treatment is not only common but widespread and safe if done correctly...you have to know what is ok and what is not. This is known as 'adjunct' treatment meanting you are taking it along with conventional treatment, but not to exclude conventional treatment.
From the FDA web site...The bogus cures include ingredients such as bloodroot, shark cartilage, coral calcium, cesium, ellagic acid, Cat's Claw, an herbal tea called Essiac, and mushrooms such as Agaricus Blazeii, Shitake, Maitake, and Reishi, the FDA said.
some of these companies are wicked out. you would think they would be ashamed of themselves. The all mighty buck wins out over having a heart.
Tc
Tc
COMMUNITY LEADER
If you go to the FDA's website and look up "fake cancer cures", you'll get the list of companies, the names of the products they sell, and a link on how to avoid online cancer fraud. Pretty interesting stuff.
Gail
Gail
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