FDA plans crackdown on homeopathic drugs

A booming homeopathic industry has prompted the Food and Drug Administration to announce a crackdown on potentially risky alternative remedies that now slip through its regulatory cracks.

The homeopathic drug market grew “exponentially” over the past decade into a nearly $3 billion industry, the FDA said, resulting in a flood of products manufactured without the agency’s approval.

The plans, which were announced last week, place scrutiny on products aimed at children and infants, as well as those marketed for life-threatening ailments like heart disease and cancer.

“In recent years, we’ve seen a large uptick in products labeled as homeopathic that are being marketed for a wide array of diseases and conditions, from the common cold to cancer,” FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said in a statement.

“In many cases, people may be placing their trust and money in therapies that may bring little to no benefit in combating serious ailments, or worse — that may cause significant and even irreparable harm because the products are poorly manufactured, or contain active ingredients that aren’t adequately tested or disclosed to patients.”

The FDA’s move follows a string of warnings issued on specific homeopathic products, such as baby teething tablets, and actions from the Federal Trade Commission to improve such products’ labels.

Homeopathic remedies aim to treat illnesses with diluted forms of substances that cause an illnesses’ symptoms.

The treatments are derived from plants, minerals and chemicals.