FDA Warns Consumers to Beware Bogus Diabetes Treatments
Images of bogus diabetes treatments courtesy of the FDA.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning diabetics to beware of illegal “natural” remedies for the treatment of diabetes. They pose a serious health danger to diabetics, and are part of the growing trend amongst drug counterfeiters pushing fake natural medications.
The FDA has taken the unprecedented step of warning
diabetics not to purchase or use so-called “natural” diabetes treatments. In their most recent consumer bulletin, “Beware of Illegally Sold Diabetes Treatments,” the FDA asks diabetics to be on their guard when it comes to buying natural diabetic treatments online.
As Gary Coody R.Ph, the national health fraud coordinator for the FDA put it, “People with chronic or incurable diseases may feel desperate and become easy prey. Bogus products for diabetes are particularly troubling because there are effective options available to help manage this serious disease rather than exposing patients to unproven and risky products. Failure to follow well-established treatment plans can lead to, among other things, amputations, kidney disease, blindness and death.”
On July 23rd 2013, the FDA sent warning letters to 15 different manufacturers of illegally marketed
diabetes treatments. The FDA warned that these illegal products made promises such as “prevents and treats diabetes,” or “can replace medicine in the treatment of diabetes.” They caution that these fake diabetes supplements do nothing for the treatment of diabetes, and may also contain dangerous pharmaceuticals not mentioned on the ingredient labels.
Dietary supplements containing dangerous pharmaceuticals are not a new phenomenon. The FDA has devoted an entire section of their website to the dangers posed by bogus dietary supplements. Many of the fake herbal remedies for weight loss contain silbutramine, or other banned drugs that are dangerous for your heart.
As FDA explained: “Undeclared ingredients can cause serious harm. If consumers and their health care professionals are unaware of the actual ingredients in the products they are taking, these products may interact in dangerous ways with other medications. “
Diabetics can keep themselves safe from dangerous fake treatments by sticking with brick & mortar pharmacies they trust, or only buying from VIPPS-approved pharmacies when shopping online.Learn more about keeping safe when buying diabetic treatments for yourself or your loved ones with our “4 Ways you Can Protect the Diabetic You Love”.
By S. Imber