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FDA Launches "Fake Cancer Cures" Website

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11 Comments

In a positive step to protect Americans, on June 17th the FDA announced that they had sent 23 companies warning letters regarding false claims of 125 cancer cures from products and launched a site called ?¢?Ǩ?ìFake Cancer Cures?¢?Ǩ¬ù that lists the companies and their products.

Due to the ease of internet trafficking the sale of these products has increased and the messages the companies use prey on individuals who are desperate for a cure. The FDA and Federal Trade Commission are working together to clamp down on companies that are marketing drugs or supplements with these false claims.

I know that there exists a lot of public scrutiny regarding the activities of the FDA, but the agency does exist to protect the health of Americans. And I certainly know that there is a frustration when we feel they are acting too slow. But one of the pinnacle’s of medicine is to first do no harm. And the FDA is responsible for making sure that not only do new therapies work, but also that they are not causing harm. These companies are insinuating they have a cure but take no responsibility if it doesn’t work, an incredibly predatory action against people who are vulnerable and inclined to believe that it will be the cure. In addition, many of the claims from these companies cite anecdotal evidence of a cure but don’t back it with qualified scientific studies. This is misleading to so many cancer patients who truly want to find a cure. But when the cure doesn’t work, the companies will almost certainly claim that they have no liability. And giving people a false hope in order to make a quick buck is both malevolent and dangerous.

While the LAF doesn’t support one treatment over another, we do support the need for sound scientific studies and we do support the FDA’s role in overseeing approved products and clinical trials. And I know these trials take time, but what is lacking is sufficient funding for the FDA to effectively test new and emerging treatments to get them out as quickly as possible. And what is important to remember is that the FDA is going after these companies for providing misleading or unproven claims to products that have not been tested for efficacy and, on top of lack of evidence that they even work, may, in fact, actually be harming people.

In many ways the FDA can be any easy target to criticize. But we should note that they have had some great success stories in approving novel treatments like Gleevec which they were able to fast-track, review, and get to market in three months. And this review ensured that the product was both, safe and “effective.”A claim that these companies cannot adequately defend.

  • http://livestrong.org Brooke McMillan (LAF Staff)

    This is really great. There are a lot of people out there that target sick people. That is why it is so important to get the facts and do your research.

  • Lesley

    This is a really good move. Its amazing how a cancer diagnosis can make someone vulnerable to exploitation. This is a positive step to protect people who are very desperate. Looking at the list of “cures” they do seem to target diseases which are rare or where people have few choices. The names of some of the products are widely banded about in internet support groups with no medical input. It is bound to upset some people who have placed a lot of hope in these products though.

  • Russ

    Now it would be nice for the FDA to contact folks like google and get some of these companies who exploit survivors off their seach engines much like they are doing to on-line pharmacies who sell meds without perscriptions.

  • DD

    I agree with Brooke that it is cruel to target sick people with fake cures. However, I am ill at ease to trust the FDA to do the right thing. They need not prove nor disprove the efficacy of alternative treatments for cancer or anything, they are allowed to be as arbritary as they wish. Too, I suspect that they are joined at the hip with Big Pharma, and that flat out scares me.

  • deloris

    Leslie, Brooke, Russ: Who will protect us from the FDA? Please go to heall.com and read an article called “FDA versus people’s right to freedom of choice in medicine – part 3.” The FDA employs thugs who terrorize people that don’t agree with. This article flat out states that the FDA wants to destroy the health food industry. Whether you love or hate the health food industry, this is wrong.

  • deloris

    Further confirmation that the FDA is intent on destroying the health food and supplement industries can be found at hescominsoon.com/archives/766. Look for “HCS and Gen’s Place >> blog archive>> Kevin Trudeau called it.” According to this article, the FDA won’t rest until you have to see a doctor to obtain a prescription to buy vitamins (one of a multitude of examples). I expect prices will soar if they get their way.

  • http://www.themusclekitchen.com Stephen Perkins

    Of course, the FDA will trash ANYthing that might potentially help or work. They work hard at stemming any sort of competition. Yes, there are charlatans and liars everywhere, I’m afraid. GOOD NEWS: I’ve had huge success with suspected prostate cancer getting biofeedback scans, nutritionist prescribed homeopathy in conjunction with a very strict diet. Reversed very high PSA counts to normal in SIX WEEKS!

  • deloris

    Stephen, could it be that what makes bread rise makes the prostrate rise? Check out knowthecause.com. (Provided you do not have dial-up internet service, in which case, this site will freeze your computer).

  • BD

    Why do people always think there is this huge conspiracy with the FDA when it comes to drug trials? I just don’t believe that a government agency has it together enough to have this huge conspiracy against specific treatments. It can take 10+ years to get a drug through trials and to market. I think the main issue here is getting the FDA streamlined, clinical trial participation up and getting funding for promising therapies. Anyone that claims they have the cure for cancer worries me–cancer is 200+ separate diseases and is treated differently in each patient. When someone says the cure is some miracle juice or copper magnet bracelet I say I’ll take my chances with the FDA.

  • deloris

    Well, BD, the FDA has been known to snub their own researchers and approve, for sale to the general public, dangerous products such as Splenda and aspartame. Don’t believe me? See if you can get your hands on a DVD called Sweet Misery. I found it a Netflix. Granted, they are considered food, but for me, it shakes my trust in the FDA to it’s foundation.
    For a different perspective on cancer, again check out Doug Kaufmann’s knowthecause.com. WEB site. This month’s newsletter (August) had much to say about cancer.
    If it happens to me, I won’t necessarily take my chances with the FDA.

  • BD

    Now that I know they made a DVD about it, I totally believe you.