FDA Accuses Supplement Manufacturers of…Selling Drugs?

supplement-label-150x150Misleading claims vs. legitimate science—getting to the truth can be a minefield! Which is why the Free Speech about Science Act is so important.


The US Food and Drug Administration recently sent warning letters to manufacturers of a number of products—MedaVir, Herpaflor, Viruxo Anti-Viral Support, C-Cure, and Never an Outbreak—for making health claims about treating or preventing sexually transmitted diseases, including herpes.

According to the FDA press release, “While some of the companies market these products as dietary supplements, these products are all drug products under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), as they are offered for the treatment of disease. These drug products, which are offered for the treatment of STDs, may not be introduced into interstate commerce without an FDA-approved new drug application (NDA).”

On their websites, the supplement manufacturers make a wide variety of claims. Some of the claims are supported by varying degrees of science; some seem wildly overreaching. But all health- or disease-related claims are currently illegal. And that is precisely the problem: there is no mechanism in place for citing the legitimate science behind a food or supplement’s effectiveness. Many Americans are trying to take charge of their health, and they are desperate for information, so some supplement manufacturers are filling that void by violating current law and making health claims—which makes it even more difficult for consumers to judge a misleading claim from a scientifically valid one.

MedaVir’s website says that research about the product’s ingredients effectiveness has been published in national medical journals, though they don’t link to that research. The website also says MedaVir has been proven effective by an official FDA phase 2 double-blind clinical trial, as well as research at Proctor and Gamble’s laboratories for medical testing and the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Infectious Diseases Division. Why would FDA warn a manufacturer over health claims when a FDA clinical trial has proven that the product is effective?

Here’s why. The sad truth is, whether the products are effective or not, or whether they have good science to back up their claims or not, is utterly irrelevant to the FDA. Dietary supplements cannot treat or prevent STDs like herpes—only FDA-approved, prescription-only medications can do that. That’s because, as you’ll note above in the FDA’s own words, any product that is offered as a treatment for disease is by definition a “drug product,” and without an NDA, said drug product cannot be sold.

Sadder still, natural substances can be powerful healers, but most of the public will never hear about them. As we have reported in previous newsletters, there are excellent natural treatments for diseases like herpes: vitamin C, selenium, lysine, and especially the powerhouse of the vitamin world, vitamin D. But the FDA says that making a health or disease claim for a supplement instantly and magically transforms it into a drug. It must therefore go through the FDA drug approval process or it cannot be sold. Alternatively, it can be sold, but you can’t tell anyone about its health benefits!

The difficulty, as we have noted many times, is that naturally occurring substances cannot be patented, and without patent protection, few manufacturers will pay the millions—and occasionally billions—of dollars to do the double-blind studies necessary to bring a new product through the FDA new drug approval process.

The long and short of it is this: the current health claim regulation system is broken, and the FDA is exploiting it.

This is why we so desperately need the Free Speech about Science Act of 2011 (FSAS). Passing this bill into law would make a food’s or product’s scientific studies and their implications more transparent and understandable to consumers.

Under FSAS, dietary supplement manufacturers will be able to make well-substantiated disease or health-related claims, based on legitimate scientific research. Because food and supplement manufacturers cannot legally make health claims, it becomes even harder for consumers to make informed and healthy decisions—and consumers are missing out on valuable information. FSAS creates a standard that would weed out junk science and misleading claims, and would provide health-conscious consumers with access to much-needed credible scientific information behind natural products.

We mentioned MedaVir earlier, but some of the other companies targeted by the FDA warning letter also cite scientific evidence to support their claims. The Herpaflor website, for example, cited science behind each of the product’s seventeen different ingredients (or did, before the FDA warning letter made them remove the citations, though we have a PDF of the page in question), supporting the claim that Herpaflor’s ingredients help prevent and treat herpes outbreaks as well as help alleviate some of the side effects such as pain and discomfort. They listed twenty reputable scientific sources for their claims, ranging from NIH studies, The Journal of Dermatology Treatment, The Journal of Medical Sciences Research, and The Journal of Antimicrobial Chemotherapy—though they also listed a number of sources that are not peer-reviewed, like BBC News and Answers.com.

ANH-USA does not, of course, support manufacturers’ misleading or fraudulent claims! We do support, however, the right of consumers to have access to credible, peer-reviewed scientific information about food and dietary supplements. It is difficult for consumers to differentiate what is credible information and what isn’t—because there is no standard in place for citing science for natural products. FSAS would help correct this.

The great irony here is that FDA and FTC absolutely allow egregiously misleading claims—with impunity—so long as they’re made by the major pharmaceutical manufacturers! For example, a full page ad for Astrazenica’s acid blocker drug Prilosec OTC in People magazine says in large type, ZERO HEARTBURN**. If you follow the asterisks down to the bottom of the page, it says in tiny type, “It’s possible while taking Prilosec OTC.” So the actual message is that zero heartburn is possible while taking this drug. Of course, zero heartburn is possible for any other product under the sun! Manufacturers of acid blockers are very careful to avoid saying that their product cures heartburn—because there is no evidence it does. There is abundant evidence, however, that it leads to more infection, pneumonia, bone problems, and a failure to absorb minerals. There is also evidence that it actually makes heartburn worse over time. Yet the FDA and FTC have no trouble with these claims.

Consumers have the right to access this information, and the FDA’s method of barring access to this information in untenable. There must be a system that allows consumers access to credible scientific data, through legislation like FSAS. If you have not already done so, please see our Action Alert and ask Congress to support the Free Speech about Science Act!

99 comments

  1. The FDA should be shut down!!!!!!! Next it will be like the EU, and they will start banning herbs!! Bastards!!!!

    1. They ( FDA ) just want everyone to be hooked on all their bogus drugs that kill us like the untested ones they say they have tested and thousands die. I agree with you, shut them down!

    2. Scott:
      I totally agree with you.
      That is why we have to ban together and stop them. The FDA is not protecting us,nor do they care to do so anytime in the near furture. The drug companies would like nothing better than to have our supplements ban. We cannot let that happen under any circumstances.

    3. the supplements dosn’t have side effects, the drugs do have side effects

    4. I totally agree. The FDA should be shut down entirely. It is a worthless predator just like all evil government agencies. Overreaching tyrannical behavior going against our Constititional.
      Definitely Government gone wild and corrupt.

    5. Bastards ask them to clean uo their mess with vaccines which are deadly I possibly got brain tumor and never got answer from Drug company and nobody does take responsibility I know it was from polio vaccine Who will return my health Big Pharma?
      real nitghtmare

    6. the FDA is purely a front for Big Pharma! They have passed a law that says……only a drug can diagnose, treat or cure any disease. How assinine is that????? It is a law in the U.S. and will be upheld in a court of law!! That is why the FDA will not allow any natural cures in this country, not because they are looking out for out health but because they are protecting their sponsers, big pharma. There are many natural cures for cancer out there but they are not allowed by the FDA. They only allow surgery, radiation and chemo because it is a billions of $ business for the drug companies. Millions of people are getting cancer and dying every year because of the FDA! You have to go out of this country to get “real” cancer treatment! In this one area alone should cause a public outrage!

    7. i agree too. the FDA and other companies similar to the FDA should be put out of business…. permanently! after all, they are not even serving the American People nor are they serving their own children!(if they have any?)

  2. Drugs are made from healthy rain forest herbs and plants. I saw BIG PHARMA in La Mesa, Colomibia, 14 years ago, making rain forest deals for their DRUGS. Drugs are artificially and chemically prepared and work harshly in the body, not strengthening the immune system to heal.
    Chemicals mask and hide symptoms but look at the rates of death from BIG PHARMA and the hospital industry. Robert Kennedy reported that “300,000 women were killed in 2009 using Merck products to “cure menopause”. Menopause is a normal situation of aging and should not be cured!
    Medicine does not heal the body. The body heals itself in a nurturing environment. These profit greedy only want to take away the source of our health to use for their own means. We know what the big Pharma and government and corporations and Monsanto are doing…trying to own the earth in any puny way they can figure out. Herbs and healing plants are a gift from GOD for human use and should never be tampered with. They have evolved along with the humans of the earth and their communication in the human body is beneficial for health.

    1. The Free Speech About Science Act is one of the most important ways for us to cut the costs of health care. When the average consumer knows the truth about good food and supplements, drugs will be less necessary and all of us will be healthier. We all need to support this direction in our laws.

    2. You do not need food to survive. All you need are drugs. If you get sick some drug will help you get well enough to function again, as long as you keep taking them. Soon we will all be taking pills and that is it. You won’t need anything else, so we won’t need farms anymore. The Drug companies will get Richer and all those farms can be put to better use as golf courses for the Ultra Rich. Imagine all the time you’ll save by just swallowing a few pills. No fuss cooking and preparing meals, no throwing out rotting produce just take some pills with long expiration dates. The World of Tomorrow is here and it is for Pills.

    3. pretty soon they are going to take away our herb Gardens.. because they will claim that they have a licence to use them and we dont… it is time for the people to stand up and take action stop whining ad do something about it.. we all need to go out and force change that benefits us and not them. we out number them. we have the power..

  3. The Food and Drug Administration has long ago proven to be a tool of the unethical drug company lobbyists. The FDA is another one of the nanny state government agencies that need to be disbanded.

    1. Why stop at disbanning them? I say sue them for the misleading information that has caused our country to be the most overweight and misinformed when it comes to our health.

    2. Absolutely agree. The FDA is what is known as a ‘captured regulator’ and will only do the bidding of its masters (big pharma). And it has been this way for decades. And the guise of the FDA being a ‘safety’ department is beyond infuriating since it is quite clear the foxes are guarding the hen-house. This actually creates a condition of danger FAR beyond the supposed dangers if the free market was used for drugs just like other products. People think the FDA screens for safety when the opposite has been shown time after time. How many lives has this false sense of security ended? End the FDA. End the nanny state. Support libertarian minded candidates.

  4. The accusations of the FDA and the big drug companies are ridiculous. This is supposedly a free country. We are not some bunch of stupid cows and have a right to investigate and choose what’s best for us.

  5. This is such a sham. FDA is not out to support the people–but the financial interests of big Pharma. It is shameful. Look at the thousands of deaths that occur each year from pharmaceutical drugs. There is a great deal of strong science to support the beneficial nature of many plants and natural substances. We don’t need this kind of protection/interference in our lives.

  6. Isn’t our country SUPPOSED to be about choices, free speech, open information, and justice? Seems the scales are being tipped toward big Pharma/corporations….just one more example of trying to get rid of their (real) competition….that being natural, safe, and cheap alternatives.
    The FDA is the organization that needs re-defining….when they can be bought off to NOT require GMO product labeling, bought off to allow misleading information on labels (sugar, HFCS, aspartame, sodium dangers)….the list goes on and on. Thanks for taking a stand — you representing us via petitions signed can hopefully translate into voting some of these legislators OUT of office who support the corruption.

    1. Not just the FDA, but the majority of our government is corrupt.It almost seems broken beyond repair. So far off from our founding father’s intention. We the people need to organize to put our country back on the righteous path, run by the people, for the people… not corporate America, which sadly and shamefully is running our country now.

  7. All natural and synthetic products have an affect on the body. Synthetic drugs or pharmaceuticals quickly overpower the mind/body’s own biological functioning. They are foreign substances. Most supplements, especially herbs, work in harmony with the biological functioning of the mind/body and work very slowly as the body adjusts to the natural compounds.
    As a Certified Nutrition Consultant for the last 14 years, I am very careful about recommending any supplements to my clients, especially if they are taking any pharmaceutical drugs. As with anything we ingest, caution must be taken because individuals react differently to different substances. But to classify supplements as “drugs” is misleading and causes fear in people, and rash action by politicians.

  8. Due to FDA track record, We need always to check the money trail where FDA is involved.
    I feel they are a business with ?able ethics.

  9. You know, the FDA use to be worth something, now its gone beyond reason. While I feel there are crooks that will say anything to sell a product, so will the FDA. They do it all the time on TV. Then later down the road we find out either someone died or gained a physical problem because of their pills or shots. The FDA is made up of human beings, Humans that God created to do good, but have declined God and have done their own thing , all for the name of money and control. They and the big drug companies are in it together. Now, this has been going on since, what, the 30? While much progress has been done in the name of science, other problems have come in the backdoor, such as greed. They no longer have a caring attitude, but a very selfish one. They know longer recognize the foods and herbs God created for man’s health. They now are calling it poison, while they themselves are putting out products that are hurting people that they have not tested long enough to see if there was going to be any harm when taken. So, people are being used as gunie pigs. All I can say is, God help them if they don’t change, because the time is coming when God will not recognize them, and tell them he doesn’t know them, and that my friends will be a sad time for them. I know they don’t believe this will happen, but it will when they see it coming. Then what are they going to do?

    1. You’re right. Everyone should be supporting the front line fighters like Kevin Trudeau. Our Government sells our rights to the highest bidder. Can anyone say TREASON.

  10. The solution is very simple.
    Someone can always design a few “independent” web sites that tell the entire world all about the health benefits of the supplements. As long as no one can prove that the independent sites are actually owned by the companies that sell the supplements the FDA can bark all they want.

  11. This sounds exactly like the statements my organization has been making for more than two+ decades.

  12. I wish you would read and edit your text more carefully. I know that it was meant ‘tongue in cheek’, but the statement above that “Dietary supplements cannot treat or prevent STDs like herpes—only FDA-approved, prescription-only medications can do that.” seems to be agreeing with their statement. I truley hope that was NOT your intention. Hopefully they will not take the liberty to quote that from your text.

  13. Already in the affordable health care act it requires a doctor’s order for diaper rash cream. Already this administration has passed the so called safety food act. This is just one more step in the direction of socialism, and the further reduction in our freedoms.

  14. This is a travesty. No one wants natural meds any more. I do believe that at times we have to have combined therapy, but the FDA———– is that why they really have NO gatekeepers?

  15. They want complete control of all substances for profit. Lawyers and scientists from Big Pharma sit on the FDA, get what they want and then go back to work for their companies. No naturopaths sit on the committee. Doesn’t seem right. CODEX is not far away.

  16. The FDA was created to actually help and protect the public, but the reality is they are in bed with the drug companies. I am a cancer survivor who did an alternative treatment regimen, which included and still includes high-dose vitamin C. So many people have asked me why this is not a common therapy, and I say to them, FOLLOW THE MONEY!!! Do you actually think the FDA would drop a $200 billion a year industry for a natural one? Not likely. They see the threat and so they use their position and power to shut down natural alternative therapies for ones that damage the immune system or even worse, KILLS!

  17. I’m sure the drug manufacturers would like to have herbs declared illegal. as they can’t be patented. I would really like the FDA to be supported by the government instead a pharmaceutical companies which now support it.

  18. Seriously, I can’t agree more with Scott. The FDA does not give a flying pig about you or your family and that is a fact. If you still don’t get it then damn… I’m sorry. They have warnings against MMS on their site which is 100% safe when used correct just because it has the element chlorine in the chemical compound (A close friend of mine swears by it and has cured many of her health problems using it) yet they allow crap like aspartame, bht, bha, bpa, horrible chemical fertilizers created by companies with ties to the same bastards that developed agent orange and many other extremely toxic products to be used freely.
    What most sheep don’t realize is that the FDA does not even test the safety of anything that it allows to be used, they take the companies word for it that is selling that very product as long as the “science” behind the safety looks good enough on paper. ARE WE ALL THAT IGNORANT??!?!!?!?!?!? Do you really think for a quarter of a second that these companies whose top priority is the almighty dollar are going to provide unbiased scientific “evidence” on the safety of something they stand to make BILLIONS from?

  19. I accuse the FDA of destroying this planet and ruining peoples’ health. They have allowed Monsanto to continue to grow and distribute genetically modified foods… these CRIMINALS refuse to mandate labeling of GMOs in food, they are allowing the destruction of this planet with all of the chemicals being sprayed on plants and crops, they have allowed fluoride into products and the water supply knowing it was toxic and CLAIMING IT HAD HEALTH BENEFITS! They have also allowed the use of aspartame in the food which has been shown to cause brain tumors.
    The FDA is out of control… and MUST adhere to the laws of nature – KISS [KEEP IT SIMPLE, STUPID!]
    Of course, we cannot rule out the fact that the powers that be are trying to keep the population reduced as they believe that there are too many people on earth. They probably figured what easier way to do that than to let the people destroy themselves by not being educated and consuming the poison the FDA allows into the food supply. Because, after all “why would our government want to harm us?” Yeah, right. Furthermore, they are lining the pockets of the pharmaceutical companies because for every illness they cause, people, naturally, go to their doctor for a cure.
    The really disturbing thing is that some of the manufacturers of conventional food that contain GMOs are getting into the organic business so now you must educate yourself there as well.

  20. Yes, under DSHEA, supplements can be sold OTC as long as they do not make any claims to diagnose, treat or prevent a disease. If a supplement does claim to treat a disease, then the manufacturer needs to do exactly what the FDA requires for all products that claim to treat a disease.
    The most important question is “what constitutes a disease?” Headaches? constipation? fatigue? brain fog? depressed mood? aches and pains? heartburn? eczema? seborrhea? psoriasis? erectile dysfunction? puberty? pregnancy? menopause? andropause?
    These are profoundly political questions.
    My sense is that most people would consider a STD a disease. Two small early phase RCTs are not enough evidence for FDA approval of any agent for treatment of a disease. But note that under DSHEA rules, there is nothing from stopping the manufacturer from providing informational information to vendors, and thus to consumers, that describe the research supporting their product.

  21. Both the FDA and suppliers of supplements need to step out of the ring and address the real situation – Truth and Freedom of Information. Nutritional data has been compiled and published for ages, the benefits of proper nutrition, including supplements and concentrations of essential vitamins and minerals, are well known, and accepted by the scientific and medical communities, as well as by the people. Yet sometimes delivery problems occur which prevent the full benefit – like encapsulating vitamins in clay, making it almost impossible for the body to digest and process. Standards need to be adhered to. Assurance and Trust that claims are real and not just hype to sell a product. Growing, harvesting, manufacturing, processing, packaging, and selling, all come with the risk of unscrupulous behavior and really needs regulation. For instance Blue-Green Algae, a great natural food source for many vitamins and minerals – but is that bottle of capsules you bought really Blue-Green Algae, or is it a Blue and Green Algae compound? We, the people must stop our rapid condemnation and assist the process – read the actual proposed regulations, ask questions about areas not covered, subject to misinterpretation, or just not understood. We need the same process with the suppliers of nutritional supplements. Remember, just because it’s natural, does not mean it won’t hurt you. It doesn’t mean that it is free of risks, or taking more brings about the desired results any faster. I strongly support natural medicine, but I will not take something just because someone said it was ok. To do so would be irresponsible.

  22. 1. The wording of the Act has to be changed;
    2. Get the drug manufacturers out of the FDA (conflict of interest)
    3. Sue the FDA for violating First Amendment rights
    4. Sue them for discriminatory practices: permitting manufacturers of conventional foods to make false and/or misleading nutritional statements while harassing manufacturers of health food products that make health claims backed up by studies.
    5. The drug companies are jealous that their products don’t perform as well as natural products
    6. Get rid of the FDA. All they do is make Americans more toxic, harass manufacturers of healthy products, and basically make life more miserable for others, and mislead the general public purporting to be a an agency that benefits others.

  23. If it wasn’t so outrageous it would be FUNNY that the biggest drug pushers in the world (and those they control) would accuse anyone else of selling drugs…that is called projection in the therapy world. It is beyond obvious that BIG PHARMA & the traditional “cut em & drug em” Drs. don’t want people to know how much control they have over their own health with the use of natural supplements herbs & healthy food. They are threatened by the growing awareness of this! Please inform people every time you get the opportunity. This Fascism has got to STOP!

  24. GOOD Supplements and good, natural foods keep the doctors and pharmaceuticals away. There in lies the crux of the problem. I rest my case.

  25. The FDA and the big Pharm are just greedy and don’t care about what happens to man-kind. There only belief is to make more money and to make people sicker so they can make more. Maybe we should give them dose of their own stupidity.

  26. If we don’t stand up now for our rights we will lose them forever.
    Each of us has the right to choose how we want our bodies and minds to be treated when needed. The government, their agencies, and BigPharma do NOT know more than we do when it comes to healing. Our innate ability to heal ourselves naturally goes back thousands of years. The time has come for all of us to “just say no” to the witches brews being foisted upon us by money-grubbing pharmaceutical companies who have vested interests in keeping us sick. Their bottom lines take precedence over our health.
    I write at length about this subject in my book “Recaging the Beast” at Amazon.

  27. It’s amazing the level of absurdity the FDA has gone to and is building upon in order to try to maintain what they perceive as control. Perhaps if the American population was made up of complete idiots it would be appropriate, but in this case, the FDA is now running amok. In collusion with the pharmaceutical companies they are now killing people and not permitting American citizens to save themselves!

  28. The number of dangerous drugs that the FDA approves and has allowed on the market is criminal!
    Within the past week, I saw a doctor about an ear infection. She prescribed some FDA approved antibiotic drops for my ears. I read the information about it, and found that it’s “ototoxic.” That means that it will not only kill the infection (well, it’s supposed to, but doesn’t do it very well), but it will also kill my ear! And it does do that very well!
    The FDA has proved over and over again that they’re working for the big pharmacy companies by allowing drugs on the market that went on to kill hundreds of thousands. They’ve also proved that they’re against health for the American people if the FDA doesn’t get big benefits from it.
    Example: Trying to ban cherries, claiming that because the cherry growers dared to say that cherries are good for you, that makes them a drug!
    Example: Trying to ban natural desiccated thyroid products that are safe, natural, and far superior to the FDA approved drugs for hypothyroidism. NDT has been in use for over 110 years and hasn’t harmed anyone when prescribed properly and has never killed anyone. In contrast, the drug companies’ drugs cost more and don’t handle the side effects, which is good for the drug companies, because then they can sell you drugs for high cholesterol, depression, and a host of other symptoms that their drugs don’t fix, unlike NDT, which just makes hypothyroid people healthy. They haven’t kept statistics on the number of hypothyroid people who have died from heart attacks aggravated by high cholesterol which was not helped by drugs like Synthroid and levoxyl, but if they had, they would know that there are people DYING from this problem!

  29. Anyone know how many ties the major players in the FDA have to pharmaceutical companies now? I believe at one time all but two were on their payroll or their boards. Conflict of interest? Ya think????

  30. The FTC attacked my health website; I responded, among many other things (see the Terms of Use for my site), by telling them that they cannot protect me or my readers against our will, and my readers have waived their right to the protection of government. They left me alone.
    It is time to assert our natural law rights against government. Read a short article about it at http://www.hiddencures.com/cancer.htm.

  31. The Food and Drug Administration must be shut down!!! I will be writing all my representatives and senators and hope all you will too and demand that steps are taken to dismantle that worthless scum organization. When they started becoming puppets for BIG PHARMA, that was the day they no longer served in our best interest as a people. What the FDA is doing is completely illegal and we won’t allow it anymore! The people control this country, not you worthless gov thugs!

  32. FDA has to be eliminated. Basically they are corporate controlled and the forerunner for codex alimentarius implementation efforts here in the USA. If not stopped, all but effectively useless substances will be banned here as they have been in the European Union.

  33. The FDA has become so corrupt it’s just a bit obvious that they’re trying to stop people from taking supplements because it takes money out of their pockets. The corruption is obvious. They are paid off by these drug companies just as the doctors are. Does anyone know of a doctor who does not walk into an examining room without a prescription pad? When will something be done to stop this corruption? Everyone is being paid off by the drug dealers…excuse me…pharmaceuticals.. The FDA has the power to approve drugs that can kill us…but hey…read the side effects…but hey…your doctor (the legalized drug pusher) prescribed it… but it’s your fault if you die.. IT IS SICK. But don’t take supplements…they might kill you..so sayeth the FDA who waits for thousands of people to die before they give in and take a drug off the market. I want to see a comparison of how many drugs have killed people vs. supplements. Show me.

  34. FDA=evil, evil, evil, corrupt, corrupt,corrupt. When I think of the FDA the word that comes to mind is tyranny. They are slowly destroying the health of Americans with their policies. The only way to bring an end to organizations like the FDA, USDA, Monsanto and pharmaceutical companies, is through civil unrest. ‘Think Martin luther king and Gandhi. The government is sitting on their behind. we cannot depend on them to do anything to stop this madness. They are part of the problem.

  35. The FDA writes: “While some of the companies market these products as dietary supplements, these products are all drug products under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FD&C Act), as they are offered for the treatment of disease. These drug products, which are offered for the treatment of STDs, may not be introduced into interstate commerce without an FDA-approved new drug application (NDA).”
    Is the definition of a drug ‘a natural substance which is scientifically proven to improve/treat a disease or improves its symptoms’ or is a drug a chemical concoction synthesized in a laboratory? I always thought it was a chemical concoction synthesized in a laboratory, something that may be patented.

    1. Diana, the Food Drug & Cosmetic Act defines a drug as any product which is intended to prevent, treat, or cure a disease.

  36. An alliance exists, unknown to the public, in which drug companies are well represented. Big wealth in North America has since Colonial times been allied with the British Crown and its financiers. The Pilgrims Society (New York and London) exists to “seize the wealth necessary—to gradually absorb the wealth of the world” American Review of Reviews, NY, May 1902, pages 557-559. Cecil Rhodes, South African diamond kingpin, left funds for the founding of the Society. Key medical doctors are always members. Yes, Big Pharma and Big Medicine are conspiracies to depopulate much of the globe whom The Crown calls “useless eaters.” Why worry about terrorists when these Anglo-Americans are scheming to cause a third World War? Will we need an Rx to buy lemons at the store, which contain citric acid, which can be effectively used to eliminate calcium from arteries? The Silver Stealers will give you broad idea of the nature of this organizations membership and don’t forget, the USA President is always an “honorary” member!!!!

  37. One very successful venture was attorney Charley Brown’s organizing of a summit meeting of multiple governments and their FDA equivalent, which pressured our own FDA to bow and finally (debate at least for show) the idea of banning amalgams and mercury therein.
    Maybe the system of checks and balances will have to come from overseas.
    It would be exciting to see the ANH organizing such a thing, debating with the FDA equivalents in other countries and shaming our own FDA down, in public, wtih world-wide publicity….
    Hahaha!
    Shall we, shall we????
    Thanks!

  38. Class action lawsuits carry weight. The pocketbook is where it is at.
    Boycott the Big Pharma and their drugs! Please spread word widely.

  39. FDA is a rogue agency. It is not acting in accordance with law, it is in conspiracy with $pharma companies and $big Ag, working to protect the interests ($ profit above all else) of these industry sectors AGAINST competition &/or any disclosure of facts which would harm the profits of industry.
    If you are a human being rather than a rich corporation, FDA is after your blood to feed the machine.

  40. The fda should be disbanded it’s not concerned about health. I read about the side efects of their drugs and I would rather live with the disease. I don’t believe anything the fda says.
    They are only concerned about the money they can bring in from big pharma and other drug
    companies.

  41. It’s time to disobey the FDA no matter what. If all of us refuse to comply, the FDA will be powerless. Non-violent but total disobedience a la Mahatma Ghandhi is the way to fight the FDA and other scums.

  42. Just another page in the old “We want to make a buck vs tell you some helpful information” book.

  43. No GMO’s, no poisonous food coloring, stop spraying poisonous chem-trails, proven health claims should be legal. These are enough to prove the FDA is not for the good of the people. Remove the FDA.

  44. I became convinced when I started seeing commercials for Niaspan. It’s prescription Niacin! A lot more expensive than regular old Niacin. Now the big pharma needs to find a way to get rid of the competition through their buddies at the FDA.

  45. People…..
    You don’t Need a big Brother looking over your shoulders.
    Its time to Grow Up, and govern your Own lives.
    Make It Happen.

  46. The FDA needs to be purged of it paid to pass or reject products. These people will do anything for money, even if it means killing hundreds of people.

  47. I am saying repeatedly that food and drug cannot be under one umbrella. This FDA created rather by world street bankers to control world population health, although they seem to be based in US they are perfectly control EU and other countries. As you have said their approved drugs all dangerous and killing thousands of people annually. But not they have right to control. NO ANY APPROVALS FROM FDA FOR THE HERB THAT AVICENNA HYPOCRAT APPROVED THOUSANDS OF YEAR AGO. We should stand up and say FDA do with your drug business and leave us along. I am in my 50th now and all my knowledge based on my background about benefit of herbs but FDA doing this today because when I am gone the next generation would have no clue about anything to help body strengthen immune system to heal itself. I wander WHY BIG ENOUGH SUPPLEMENT COMPANY DO NOT UNITE ALL OF US AND insist separate food from drugs. These 2 should stay on opposite site of the road. FDA making laws for themselves by help of corrupted people in the government and we are the victims, know everything but powerless to change anything.

  48. The FDA is to protect the market share of the BIG drug companies. We would be better off without it. The BIG drug companies and their products are bad enough–bad reactions to drugs and medical errors are certainly within the top ten causes of death if not number one–but the products of the BIG drug companies should at least have to compete with non-patent remedies.

    1. Hi Grace:
      Thought you’d be interested to know that JAMA (Journal of American Medical Assn.) listed as the
      # 3 leading cause of death in USA as PROPERLY prescribed prescription drugs.
      JM

  49. FDA’s attitude begs one question.
    If an organic farmer were to put a label on a bulb of garlic, describing all the known benefits of garlic, would the FDA jump and accuse the farmer of selling a “drug?” I guess the garlic would also magically become a drug if the health benefits were mentioned by the farmer trying to sell it.
    The FDA’s attitude is just ridiculous… and transparent… as we all know they are just pushing special interests of big pharmaceuticals.

    1. The networks are trying to make Ron Paul look ridiculous but if you want health freedom … he is the only real choice. As a physician, I am sure he holds more disgust for the FDA than all of us put together.

    2. FDA has already done that very thing to cherry growers. Any health claims, regardless of the scientific study done, automatically make food a drug. Guess that’s why it’s the Food and Drug Admin…

    3. A Farmer that that is not registered with the FDA can do what he wants, because Title 21 say their rules apply to registrants. The problem being is most do not go read, They give definitions and tell you who it applies to. The fda is not part of the constitution it is a corporation and you have to contract with them. As long as you don’t hurt someone under the Bill of Rights all is legal, will they threaten you to get you to register? You bet but we must stand, If you have registered withdraw you signature in writing.
      Blessings

  50. I will certainly call my “representatives” in government and express my concerns. What concerns me more and more is the way the government encroaches into every aspect of our lives.
    I have a question: I take Nexium and Zantac…If these are really harmful, what should I be taking instead?
    Thank you for what you do.
    Judith

    1. My sister and I had this problem, here is what we did and it works!!! I researched this and found out you get relux and heartburn because you DO NOT have enough stomach acid. Mix two tablespoons of apple cider vinegar with 6-8 ounces of water and drink before eating and at bedtime for 6-8 weeks then change to taking at your main meal and at bedtime. Also take if you get reflux or heartburn. DO NOT under any circumstances take any type of antacid whether over the counter or prescription, ever. Taking stomach enzymes will speed this process up considerably. Sleep on you left side at night and if you get any heartburn as this will make it go away. if you cannot tolerate the vinegar you can take Hydorcholric Acid (aka Betaine HCI) tablets/capsules with meals and drink the vinegar at bedtime. one side effect of the vinegar at bedtime is its an amazing fat burner.

      1. I was told about and have tried successfully a couple ozs. of pickel juice. That probably verifies the lack of stomach acid therory.
        JM

    2. Having had severe reflux problems for years and finally bid farewell to it (whew!). I would recommend looking at your diet. For me, it was wheat.
      Stopping wheat helped me loads, changing from cow milk products to goat milk did a bit more, getting rid of *all* processed sugars, especially those included in pre-cooked foods, really slowed it down.
      Finally I was introduced to the Body Ecology Diet, which has got rid of it entirely. It’s basically a diet based round large quantities of easy to digest foods (greens, veg, etc.) with carefully balanced grains or proteins or starch.
      The best part of the diet for reflux is the introduction of cultured vegetables and natural probiotics to help balance the organisms in your intestines and generate a healthy gut. It appears a bit restrictive at first, but when you get into it there are a whole wealth of healthy foods waiting to be discovered!
      Once your gut feels happier, you can ease yourself off the pharmaceuticals, which are probably creating their own problems

  51. I totally agree with Sally B. Gifts from God cannot be patetened. Last year, I wrote a parody called, ‘Hot Rocks = Drugs’. When the FDA discovers that rocks heated in a sauna can be beneficial to some, will they try to gain profit?. There is an infinite number of hot rocks in Amrica’s SW.
    awl

  52. The FDA is just an enforcement thug for Big Pharma’s attempt to create monopoly on our health. They are abusing the power of government to force everyone to use their drugs only thereby establishing complete fascist control over our health and lives.

  53. This is very sad, and is the result of huge corporate interests taking over the regulatory and governmental process. They are just trying to maximize corporate profits. I saw a study done by some people a while back that stated that over 80% of all standard medical procedures that MD physicians perform have not been subjected to any ‘randomized double blind studies’. So there is definitely a huge bias against natural products and methods, and for those that make Big Pharma a lot of money. If it makes money for Big Pharma, it’s safe; if it doesn’t, it is subject to ‘regulation’. This is how Vioxx, statins, vaccines and other deadly drugs and treatments are ok, while the time-tested natural ones are under severe scrutiny. It’s also why organic food stores are being raided by gun-toting SWAT teams that are acting like they’re raiding an active drug house. It is institutionalized madness, and government is hell-bent on increasing the madness even more.

  54. Isn’t it just amusing how advertising can make a claim ‘Zero Heartburn’ for a product like Prilosec or Zantac and put all the negative things about it in the teeny print! The problem isn’t in claims of miracle cures, scientifically based double blind studies or what not! The problem is in Corporate ‘Effin’ America and how many more dollars they can all add to their pockets! Their all too afraid of us knowing the value of natural medicines because the more who know and believe in it take away from organized medicine and their not getting wealthy off of it! Furthermore, they can’t kill us all with the side effects of that synthetic crap!
    Also, what about the food supply? The allow steroids injected into poultry and for it to be sold! They allow the sale of artificial sweeteners! They allow the sale of Monster and Red Bull Drinks…all known for producing ailments in the body that mask symptoms of various dis-ease!
    As far as I am concerned, the FDA should be dismantled and completely done away with!

  55. I want NAMES.
    Because of mineral depletion the commercially available herbs etc. tend to be much less effective.
    I don’t gather commercially so I don’t have to provide things to anyone I don’t want to. This includes information. I’ll be damned if I will slog through the swamp for some SOB that wants to tell me what treatments I may or may not use.

  56. The FDA is superfluous! Bombard your congressman with e-mails to introduce legislation to abolish the FDA! These bureaucrats should all be fired and should look for some honest work away from the federal trough!

  57. They just took away supplement freedom in the EU, be careful folks its only a matter of time. BUT, change is on the horizon and this won’t last long.

  58. Do away- with the FDA!
    Do away- with the FDA!
    Do away- with the FDA!
    Do away- with the FDA!
    Get rid of these Morons!

  59. SO typical of the FDA. I guess the initial tally of 22,000 heart attack deaths were just not enough to really clamp down on this diabetes ‘medicine’. I suppose it took another 10,000 or so more deaths for the FDA to get serious! Today I got this notice from Drugs.com concerning AVANDIA:
    FDA notified healthcare professionals and the public of new restrictions to the prescribing and use of rosiglitazone-containing medicines. These medicines to treat type II diabetes are sold under the names Avandia, Avandamet, and Avandaryl. Healthcare providers and patients must enroll in a special program in order to prescribe and receive these drugs.
    FDA has modified the REMS for Avandamet and Avandaryl because previously, the REMS consisted of only a Medication Guide. The REMS, which now includes a restricted access and distribution program, applies to all three rosiglitazone products.
    DO YOU THINK ANOTHER 10,000 will have to die for them to pull it off the market altogether???
    Good God! I wonder how many people have died from the products whose manufacturers got those threatening letters from the all knowing, all powerful FDA? I would bet many dollars that it’s NONE!
    SICKENING AND DISGUSTING!!!!!! Abolish these death mongers!

  60. The corrupted FDA and it’s siblings have bullied Alternative medicines and doctors for many years and it’s time to kick them off their stage and replace them with good honest Alternative people who will pave the way to good health and longevity by being available to help folks get off the toxins and poisons that drugs are known to ingest in the human system…Instead of FDA ..How about AHC (Alternative Health Care) or something like that?

  61. Well, on and on it goes….it is time to revoke the FDA and the FTC power.
    I sent my two page letter to the energy and commerce chair people this week.
    I also call lots of people and alternative medicince, wellness clinics, alternative medicine treatment center is America ask ing the to push the bill.
    I am alive today because I treated myself without radiation and chemotherapy, sugery. I was given 3 months to live.
    When is enoug, enough?
    I contact the Presidental hopefuls, this week, too. I sent the a packet of my wants in a health care plan.

  62. Let me see if I have this right. The FDA says everything about GMO/GE food is safe and we should all eat it and shut up. Out of the same mouth, they say anything that has properties to alter you physically, i.e., kill pain, change the course of disease, repair physical damage, make you feel better at all in any way, is a drug and must be regulated. So we can have supplements as long as no one tells you what they’re good for. And we can have toxic food that will kill us graveyard dead and we’re not allowed to know through labeling if it’s GMO/GE because then we might not eat it. So if it will help you and it’s so labeled, it becomes a drug and if it will kill you and is NOT so labeled, it’s food, shut up and eat.
    Why do I feel like I’ve slipped through the looking glass?

  63. Thank You, Thank You, everyone who works to be informed, who works for good natural health, who loves to share a good life with others, and who works to keep our politicians in line. It is a growing awareness and actions that gives me hope for the future. Thanks again.. Grandpa Geoge!

  64. I would dearly desire the FDA to disappear as its actions or inactions have resulted in the deaths of many. Furthermore, it is absurd to think that the FDA prohibits manufacturers from saying vitamin C cures scuvy, vitamin B1 cures beri beri, niacin cures pellagra, B12 prevents and treats permicious anemia, and vitamin D cures rickets. But eliminate the FDA and then the outlaw purveyors of dietary supplements will fleece consumers of their money with unsubstantiated health claims. There must be a referee!
    The problem is that the FTC and FDA, along with Google, are allowing many outlaw companies to spring up on the internet and these agencies take belated action as if to continue to make the dietary supplement industry appear like it is largely outside the law. A simple answer would be to license all supplement makers and demand their executives certify they have read and understand Title 21 of the Federal Register outline FDA regulations for labelling and health claims, and FTC regulations regarding advertising claims. The current model for success in marketing dietary supplements is to skirt around the law, make huge profits, then hire attorneys to fend off the regulators.
    That various published studies indicate a herbal extract or vitamin prevents, treats or cures a disease is one thing, but that published science may not pertain to a particular product. Most of the science cited by supplement manufacturers represents borrowed science. In some instances, competing products were used and they steal that science and claim their product is the same!
    Were the same herbal ingredients extracted in the same manner as those used in the published study? Are the same doses provided in the dietary supplement as used in the controlled study? Many dietary supplement makers offer smaller doses of nutrients than used in studies to fatten their profit margins. In other instances, some dietary supplements overdose consumers claiming their product provides more than competing products. We know that vitamin C and polyphenols (resveratrol, quercetin, curcumin, etc) in low doses are antioxidants but in mega doses are pro-oxidants.
    The above article on the FDA declaring supplements to be drugs is eye catching, but not instructive. Legislation needs to be written to allow non-drugs to be labelled they prevent, treat or cure disease if there is adequate evidence for that particular product. Millions of dollars are not required to prove nutriceuticals are safe and effective. There is an ethical issue for nutrients that avert mortality. The only ethical way to prove this is to conduct animal studies or retrospective studies like were done for aspirin and mortal heart attack.
    The FDA is bought off by the drug industry, but ironically, the patients keep coming back for more because they see and hear the TV ads for drugs on television and they want the most advanced (but expensive) treatment. That Medicare does not pay for dietary supplements is another major problem because many retirees prefer whatever insurance pays for, not what is best for their health.

  65. DL&Q will be on the Grand OL’ Opry tomorrow night. I am not sure what time they sing, but tune in and listen.

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