The Food and Drug Administration has issued warning letters to 12 companies and advisory letters to 5 companies illegally selling more than 58 products claiming to treat Alzheimer’s disease.
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The products, many of which are marketed as dietary supplements, are being sold in a variety of forms, including tablets, capsules, and oils. These drugs are either unapproved or mislabeled and claim to prevent, treat, or cure Alzheimer’s disease, as well as a number of other serious diseases and health conditions, in violation of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
“Alzheimer’s is a challenging disease that, unfortunately, has no cure. Any products making unproven drug claims could mislead consumers to believe that such therapies exist and keep them from accessing therapies that are known to help support the symptoms of the disease, or worse, as some fraudulent treatments can cause serious or even fatal injuries,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, MD, said in a press release.
In an additional statement, Dr. Gottlieb detailed several new strategies for improving the safety and accuracy of dietary supplements, including efforts to more rapidly communicate to the public potential safety issues with dietary supplement products and to establish a flexible regulatory framework that promotes innovation and upholds product safety.