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The FDA has sent letters to 15 companies warning them to stop marketing products that falsely claim to treat diabetes, the agency announced.
The products range from dietary supplements and "natural" treatments, to ayurvedic and homeopathic remedies to illegally sold prescription drugs. They claim that they can lower blood sugar "naturally" or completely replace approved diabetes drugs, the agency said.
Selling these purported therapies is illegal, the FDA said, in some cases because of the false claims and in others because the drugs may contain harmful or active ingredients that would qualify them as prescription drugs.
"Consumers who buy violative products that claim to be treatments are not only putting themselves at risk but also may not be seeking necessary medical attention, which could affect their diabetes management," FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, MD, said in a statement.
No adverse effects associated with the products have been reported yet, but the FDA said it is "taking action to protect the public health from any potential harm," such as substitution of the products for regular medical therapy.
The companies served with letters are both foreign and domestic, and the products are sold both online and in stores.
Some of the brands include Diexi, Diaberex, Glytain, Sugar Balancer, Insupro Forte, Eradicator, and Glucocil. Some of these have been billed as "natural" treatments or dietary supplements but have been found to contain undeclared active ingredients.
In other cases, online pharmacies were found to be selling unapproved versions of diabetes drugs including sitagliptin (Januvia).
Claims have included statements such as:
- "Lower your blood sugar naturally."
- "You'll lower your chances of having eye disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, and heart disease."
- "It can replace medicine in the treatment of diabetes."
Some of these companies also promote unapproved products for other serious diseases, including cancer, sexually transmitted diseases, and macular degeneration, the FDA said.
"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," Gary Coody, RPh, national health fraud coordinator for FDA, said in a statement.