Warning Against Swine Flu Supplements

Several CAM organizations, including the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA), the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the Natural Products Association (NPA) and the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA), are warning consumers about products that falsely claim to treat or prevent the H1N1 flu virus (swine flu).

According to a statement released by the organizations, the coalition is “unaware of any scientific data supporting the use of dietary supplements to treat swine flu. Furthermore, federal law does not allow dietary supplements to claim to treat any diseases, including swine flu.” The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has only approved two drugs for the treatment of the flu: oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) and zanamivir (Relenza®).

The industry urged marketers and retailers of dietary supplements not to stock or sell any products that are presented as being able to treat or prevent the swine flu.

The industry also said that “there are dietary supplements that have much to offer in terms of enhancing general immune function. However, therapies for the treatment of swine flu should only be recommended by qualified healthcare professionals or public health authorities.”

The warning comes just days after the FDA and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) alerted the public to be wary of Internet sites and other promotions for products that claim to diagnose, treat or prevent the swine flu.

"Consumers who purchase products to treat the novel 2009 H1N1 virus that are not approved, cleared or authorized by the FDA for the treatment or prevention of influenza risk their health and the health of their families," said Michael Chappell, acting FDA Associate Commissioner for Regulatory Affairs. "In conjunction with the Federal Trade Commission, the FDA has developed an aggressive strategy to identify, investigate, and take regulatory or criminal action against individuals or businesses that wrongfully promote purported 2009 H1N1 influenza products in an attempt to take advantage of the current flu public health emergency."

For more information about the influenza virus, please visit Natural Standard's Medical Conditions database.

Comments

[M.V.]

I can't believe these companies are marketing their dietary supplements as a cure for the swine flu! Talk about taking advantage of the public fear and paranoia surrounding the swine flu to make a profit! I'm glad that the FDA and others are taking action against these individuals!

[jane marie]

I'm not surprised by this at all! I feel like companies trying to make a profit during scares, such as the swine flu epidemic, are commonplace. Although various healthcare institutions are trying to get the facts out about prevention, many people are listening to some unreliable reports from the media and doing anything they can to avoid contracting the flu. It's good to hear that the FDA and other CAM organizations are bringing this to consumers' attention.

[Sarah]

Wow, it is a good thing that FDA took notice of this type of false advertisement! Personally, I would be wary of taking dietary supplements advertised to prevent the swine flu, but then again, fear can make people do unusual things. I can't help but wonder if the FDA has or is strict with other dietary supplements that have made similar claims in the past for other conditions.

[PO]

Some of the products that are falsely claiming to treat swine flue are marketing themselves as “natural” solutions. Blurring the lines between natural solutions that work and those that do not work is a clever marketing trick. It seems like these marketers want to make us believe that when it comes to natural solutions for illness, anything could be effective. It’s important to have resources such as those listed above in the blog, as well as Natural Standard, to help differentiate scams from truly effective natural or integrative treatments.

[LB]

The two approved drugs, oseltamivir (Tamiflu®) and zanamivir (Relenza®), do have some serious side effects. It almost makes one wish that the claims the fake products make were true. Relenza® is associated with breathing problems, seizures and confusion. Also, its effectiveness is questionable: according to the Food and Drug Administration, Relenza® was ineffective at reducing the incidence of the flu in two studies sampling nursing home patients.

Tamiflu® also has some serious side effects, including nausea and vomiting, and in rare cases, skin reactions and delierium. If a more natural solution truly existed, perhaps it would have less serious side effects.

[Ajlouny]

This gives false hope and preys on people. It's horrible that a company can take advantage of the epidemic and in return make people believe that they are exempt from the flu. They are less likely to take precautionary methods to avoid getting swine flu.

[TNT]

I heard two dietary supplements of this nature advertised last week on an A.M. radio station and was immediately angered. It is not only unfair to take advantage of public fear over the spread of H1N1, it is also not at all far-sighted. How can the public feel safe and comfortable with other claims from marketer's dietary supplement and natural remedies when the claim to protect against the so-called swine flu is so clearly untrue? It will be a shame if the whole market loses credibility over this when they offer other natural products that really are effective and helpful.

[Bobby]

I have to agree with Jane & PO that it is excellent to see not just the FDA, but also CAM companies, like Natural Standard, help spread the word of what will help prevent the H1N1 Swine flu. However, you have to watch what the FDA, CDC and WHO say as well because no one hand sanitizer is approved to prevent the swine flu. When you go to the Purell Web site to look up information on how Purell can prevent the swine flu they state, “Alcohol-based hand cleaners are also effective.” However if you access, “FAQ, Hand Hygiene & H1N1 Influenza A,” and look at how Purell works, it doesn’t state that it works on viruses, only that it prevents the spread of germs by breaking down their cell walls. H1N1 Influenza A differs from a bacterium in that it has a viral envelope and a capsid, protein shell, that protects its’ RNA and not a cell wall.

[Billie H]

The fact that some supplement companies are claiming that their products can be used to treat or prevent swine flu shouldn’t come as such a big surprise. FDA regulation is severely lacking, and until the FDA steps up and starts regulating vitamin supplements as drugs, issues like this one will continue to pop up. It is nice though to see that the CAM organizations are stepping up to regulate due to the lack of headship from the FDA. In the meantime, I expect to see many more false claims like these from supplement companies.

[How To Prevent Flu]

I've never actually heard of swine flu supplements being hurtful. To my understanding, they are just placebos. They really have no more effect than anything else (apart from psychological effects, that is). More important than those is just maintaining good hygiene.

[michael]

I have been using high doses of vitamin c to protect myself against infections/viruses with some success. Last week I had a very high temperature and sore throat that came on very quickly. During the day I took 5,000 milligrams of vitamin C, and the next day, the symptoms had gone. Now this may have happened anyway; however, it is not the first time I have experienced this.

[Kaz`s natural remedies]

As a Japanese woman, I grew up using both modern, western style medicine and "Kanpu Yaku," which is Japanese for natural medicine or Chinese medicine. I find both to be quite useful.

I feel it is just common sense that eating more naturally and using herbs, food, exercise and other healthy living practices are our best first choice in staying healthy.

But once one has contracted some major illness and is in need of immediate care, this is when modern medicine is often at it`s best.

In the end, I believe neither outweighs the other. We must begin to take advantage of both of these modalities by using natural remedies and herbal treatments to be as healthy as possible, and if a powerful illness still finds its way into our bodies, then we should fight back with the best of everything available, including modern medicine and natural remedies.

We need to recognize, however, that herbs and some foods can interact with pharmaceuticals in unexpected ways, and we must therefore always seek out professional council when dealing with serious illness.