Looking for cold medicine at your local pharmacy? Be careful what you choose. Experts warn that some options on the shelves may be better than sugar pills.
CVS and Walmart are in the midst of a legal battle over the sale of FDA-approved over-the-counter medicines and homeopathic products, a form of alternative medicine based on diluted ingredients.
The research center, the non-profit organization that filed the lawsuit, claims that this kind of placement of products is misleading and presents homeopathic products as an equal substitute for science-based medicines.
According to the National Institutes of Health, there is little evidence that homeopathic products are effective. Experts say most are harmless, but the Food and Drug Administration vouches for their safety and effectiveness. I warn you that you can’t.
“An over-the-counter drug has to be proven to be safe and effective for the condition it’s trying to treat,” said Kelly Culpa, a former pharmacist and professor of medical education at East Tennessee State University. (Homeopathic products) had their own conditions on which they could be marketed.They bypassed all their safety and efficacy.”
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What are homeopathic medicines?
Homeopathy is an alternative medicine that was first developed in the late 1700s.practitioners believe According to the FDA, substances that cause symptoms in healthy people can be used to treat symptoms and diseases.
For example: cutting onions can cause tears, so homeopathic remedies for itchy and watery eyes dilute red onions.
Unlike pharmacology, which usually follows the idea that higher doses produce greater responses, homeopathy believes that the more diluted a substance is, the more potent it is.
Some medical experts are concerned that homeopathic products may contain toxic substances that are not sufficiently diluted.
Adriane Fugh-Berman, professor of pharmacology and physiology at Georgetown University Medical Center, said: However, if the toxic substance cannot be weakened sufficiently, “that could be a problem.”
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Is homeopathic medicine effective?
A 2015 paper by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council, based on 176 individual studies, found that “there were no health conditions for which there was credible evidence that homeopathy was effective.”
“Homeopathy did not have the hardcore data behind it that matched what is now recognized as a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial that clearly shows efficacy.
Fugh-Berman says most homeopathic products are harmless and may even have a placebo effect, but being sold over-the-counter with FDA-approved medications is problematic.
“Homeopathic preparations should be available to people who know what they are and want to use them, but they shouldn’t inadvertently buy sugar pills,” she said.
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Are homeopathic products FDA approved?
Homeopathic products are usually labeled as homeopathic and list the ingredients in terms of dilutions such as 1x or 2c.
The FDA warns that there are currently no FDA-approved homeopathic products labeled, and the agency says it cannot guarantee that these drugs will meet standards for safety, efficacy and quality. sales have been growing in recent years.
The agency said last December that it intended to prioritize enforcement and regulatory action on certain homeopathic products that “may pose a higher risk to public health.”
Homeopathic products have had safety issues in the past.In 2017, the FDA sent a memo saying it found elevated levels of the toxin belladonna in certain homeopathic teething tablets.
The following year, the agency warned consumers of certain product recalls. Homeopathic products for humans and pets with microbial contamination.
“I used to look at homeopathic products like this: They probably won’t do any harm. Even if it’s just a placebo, it might help you,” Kalpa said. But “there’s also the risk of delaying proper treatment. And I think that can be harmful in and of itself.”
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What is the status of the CFI litigation?
Last month, the District of Columbia Court of Appeals denied requests for a new trial from CVS and Walmart.
“We do not agree with this ruling,” Walmart’s director of corporate affairs Mercy Birx said. I am doing it.”
CVS did not respond to requests for comment.
Nick Little, vice president and general counsel for the Center for Inquiry (CFI), said that if the case does go to trial, it likely won’t happen until later this year or early 2024.
“Individual stores are responsible for how they sell[these products]and how they present them to customers,” Little says. I hope to
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