FDA Warns Supplement Makers To Stop Touting Cures For Diseases and Cancer

An anonymous reader quotes a report from The New York Times: The Food and Drug Administration on Monday warned 12 sellers of dietary supplements to stop claiming their products can cure diseases ranging from Alzheimer's to cancer to diabetes. At the same time, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, the agency's commissioner, suggested that Congress strengthen the F.D.A.'s authority over an estimated $40 billion industry, which sells as many as 80,000 kinds of powders and pills with little federal scrutiny. These products range from benign substances like vitamin C or fish oil to more risky mineral, herbal and botanical concoctions that can be fatal.

'People haven't wanted to touch this framework or address this space in, really, decades, and I think it's time we do it,' Dr. Gottlieb said in an interview. He is particularly concerned about supplements that purport to cure diseases for which consumers should seek medical attention. 'We know there are effective therapies that can help patients with Alzheimer's,' he said. 'But unproven supplements that claim to treat the disease but offer no benefits can prevent patients from seeking otherwise effective care.' The companies included TEK Naturals, Pure Nootropics and Sovereign Laboratories. In a letter to TEK Naturals, the F.D.A. and the Federal Trade Commission chastised the company for marketing Mind Ignite as a product 'clinically shown to help diseases of the brain such as Alzheimer's and even dementia.'

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