FDA Renews Warning About Offers of Fake H1N1 Flu Virus Cures
The Food and Drug Administration is again warning consumers about fraudulent claims being made by some Internet-based companies claiming to have products that can diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure the H1N1 influenza virus.
Last month, the FDA first warned people about unscrupulous companies making false claims on websites and offering products associated with the deadly strain of influenza. Since then, the FDA has sent warning letters to 50 companies ordering them to stop offering products while making unfounded claims about the products’ ability to fight the H1N1 virus.
Companies found to be offering products in violation of FDA rules were told to immediately remove the products from circulation or run the risk of incurring monetary fines, seizure, injunctions, jail time, and other punishment, the FDA said. More than 66 percent of companies that received the FDA warning letters complied with the order and pulled the offending products, the FDA said.
However, some companies continue trying to cash in on the illness that has now reached the global pandemic stage. Several drug companies are hurrying to complete vaccines to prevent the spread of the H1N1 flu.
Fraudulent Products Targeted
Some of the unapproved products the FDA targeted were:
• A shampoo that claimed to protect against the H1N1 flu virus
• A dietary supplement that claimed to protect infants and young children from contracting the H1N1 flu virus
• A “new” supplement that claimed to cure H1N1 flu infection within four to eight hours
• A spray that claimed to leave a layer of ionic silver on one’s hands that killed the virus
• Several tests that have not been approved to detect the H1N1 flu virus
• An electronic instrument that claimed to utilize “photobiotic energy” and “deeply penetrating mega-frequency life-force energy waves” to strengthen the immune system and prevent symptoms associated with H1N1 viral infection. The device cost thousands of dollars.
The FDA also has posted a list of offending Web sites and products on the agency’s Web site.
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