FDA cracks down on untested cold medicines

[The Straight Story]

FDA cracks down on untested cold medicines
Many doctors may not realize they are prescribing unapproved drugs; about 500 medications affected

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration says it will remove roughly 500 unapproved cold and allergy medications from the market as part of an ongoing campaign cracking down on ineffective prescription medications.


The agency said manufactures of the unapproved drugs will have 90 days to cease production.

The FDA requires companies to submit all new prescription drugs for scientific review before they are launched. However, thousands of drugs actually predate the FDA's drug regulations, which were put in place in 1962. Those drugs were supposed to be evaluated over time, but many have escaped scrutiny.

"Removing these unapproved products from the market will reduce potential risks to consumers," said Dr. Deborah Autor, director of the FDA's Office of Compliance.



http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/41869370/ns/health-cold_and_flu/from/toolbar

[somone]

1. List of Products Affected:

http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/GuidanceComplianceRegulatoryInformation/EnforcementActivitiesbyFDA/SelectedEnforcementActionsonUnapprovedDrugs/ucm245106.htm

[azurnoir]

2. Big Pharma whines government listens IMO

most of these are 'off-brands' which contain the exact same ingredients as 'brand name' products but sell for much less

[DJ13]

3. +1

When I read the part about many predating the FDA itself I figured something was up.

After decades in use for several medicines its obvious they've passed the need for clinical trials to obtain approval.

[HuckleB]

4. This isn't just an "off-brand" problem.

What’s with the new cough and cold products?
http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/?p=8348

These products are basically worthless, especially for kids.