FDA Warns of Fraudulent Ebola Drugs Sold Online

The FDA cautioned the public to be aware of products being sold online that fraudulently claim to prevent or treat Ebola. The FDA did not specify any products in its warning.

“Individuals promoting these unapproved and fraudulent products must take immediate action to correct or remove these claims or face potential FDA action,” according to at statement from the FDA.

The warning comes after Nigeria’s top health official, Onyebuchi Chukwu, claimed that 8 Ebola patients in Lagos will receive an experimental treatment called nano-silver. Silver has been used as an antibacterial for many centuries. Tiny silver particles known as nano-silver have controversially been incorporated into a variety of consumer products, such as socks and bedding, to help block odors caused by bacteria and mold. The US Environmental Protection Agency considers nano-silver a pesticide.

Nano-silver is also sometimes sold online as a dietary supplement, although Danish researchers found in a recent study that nano-silver can penetrate and damage cells.—Kerri Fitzgerald

Source: Thomson Reuters. 2014; FDA warns of fraudulent Ebola drug claims.