FDA Issues Warning Letters to 3 Companies Claiming to Cure Ebola
The United States Food and Drug Administration issued warning letters Wednesday to three companies marketing cures for the Ebola virus.
The three companies are: Natural Solutions Foundation based in Newton, New Jersey, dTERRA International LLC and Young Living, both Utah based. The companies are promoting cures for many diseases like HIV, H1N1 and Ebola, and none of them have FDA approval.
The products are sold online claiming that natural remedies can "help prevent your contracting the Ebola virus" and in one instance, "effectively kill the Ebola virus," reports The Washington Post.
The Ebola epidemic in West Africa has already claimed more than 2,800 lives and the latest CDC report claims that the virus may reach 1.4 million by 2015. In situations of public health endemics such claims crop up all over the internet.
"Oftentimes with public health incidences, like Ebola or even during H1n1, we see products that are marketed, often online, that claim to treat or cure the disease...without FDA approval," FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Yao said in an interview.
The FDA earlier had issued a preemptive warning in public interest clarifying that there were yet no drugs available to cure the Ebola virus.
The FDA has given a 15-day notice to the erring companies to respond to the violations. One of the companies, Young Living, has assured that it will co-operate with the FDA . If the companies do not comply within 15 days, they need to show cause or FDA can impose sanctions and even bring criminal charges against the companies.
