Your information is strictly confidential and is not used for marketing purposes.

Blog
News
FAQs
Library

Defective Prescription Drugs

12/30/2011Avastin Not Approved by FDA for Breast Cancer Treatment...
2/25/2011Study: Many Defective Medical Devices Not Properly Tested By FDA...
12/31/2010House Passes Landmark Food Safety Bill...
12/27/2010FDA Warns Men Against Dangerous Sexual Enhancement Supplement...
3/30/2010Indiana Parents Sue Botox Company After Daughter Dies...
2/27/2010Avandia: Dangerous Diabetes Drug Causing Heart Attacks?...
11/16/2009FDA To Launch New Prescription Drug Safety Efforts...

Offices

Indianapolis Office:
2850 North Meridian Street
Indianapolis, IN 46208-4713
Phone: 317-926-1111
Fax: 317-926-1411

Toll Free: 800-253-5537

South Bend Office:
16658 Cleveland Rd
Granger, IN 46530-9186
Phone: 574-277-7773
Fax: 574-271-3337

Terre Haute Office:
1617 S 3rd St
Terre Haute, IN 47802-1013
Phone: 812-235-5600
Fax: 812-235-7800

Michigan Office:
814 Port Street
St. Joseph, MI 49085
Phone: 269-983-7333
Fax: 269-983-7377

New Mexico Office:
505 Marquette NW
Suite 1300
Albuquerque, NM 87102
Phone: 505-938-2300
Fax: 505-938-2301

Keller & Keller on Facebook

Homeopathic Drugs – Not Tested For Safety By The FDA?

This month the popular cold remedy drug Zicam was in the spotlight after 130 different consumers reported that the cold remedy swabs and cold remedy nasal spray damaged, impaired, or completely destroyed their sense of smell. The Food & Drug Administration issued a warning to consumers to stop using the product immediately, while also asking the drug manufacturer to stop marketing their defective swabs and sprays.

How did this dangerous drug get on the market in the first place? The answer is that it is considered a homeopathic drug - and is therefore not regulated by the FDA in any meaningful way. Zicam not only can market their drug without ever having to prove that it is effective - it can also market its drug without ever having to prove that it is safe for consumers. While the FDA can intervene after a problem has been found with a homeopathic drug, as it has done in the case of Zicam, it does not intervene in the manufacture or marketing of homeopathic drugs beforehand.

What makes a drug homeopathic? Any over-the-counter remedies that use plant, mineral or animal derivatives. The FDA assumes, in this case, that even if homeopathic drugs may not have been proven to work, their "natural" ingredients mean that they are harmless to consumers. Of course, this is simply not the case. In the case of Zicam, the zinc ingredient in the swab may be harmful to some people's sense of smell and sense of taste. Perhaps it is just one more reason not to assume that anything you buy at your local pharmacy is safe.