How to detect fake products claiming to “cure” cancer
Products claiming to cure cancer appeared recently on websites or social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram. Buyers should be aware, as their effects could prove to be a real deception.
“Anyone who suffers from cancer, or knows someone who does, understands the fear and desperation that can set in. There can be a great temptation to jump at anything that appears to offer a chance for a cure”, Nicole Kornspan, M.P.H., a consumer safety officer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says.
People should know that legitimate medical products, such as drugs and devices intended to treat cancer, must gain FDA approval or clearance before they are marketed and sold. The agency’s review process helps ensure that these products are safe and effective for their intended uses.
loading...
Products sold online can come in many forms: pills, capsules, powders, creams, teas, oils, and treatment kits. Sometimes they are called “natural” and often falsely labelled as dietary supplements. Worse, they may cause harm by delaying or interfering with proven, beneficial treatments and could also contain dangerous ingredients.
That holds true for treatments intended for humans and those intended for pets.
“Increasingly, bogus remedies claiming to cure cancer in cats and dogs are showing up online. People who cannot afford to spend large sums at the animal hospital to treat cancer in their beloved dogs and cats are searching for less expensive remedies”, Kornspan says.
Fraudulent cancer products often use a particular vocabulary and consumers should recognise certain phrases as red flags, including:
- Treats all forms of cancer
- Miraculously kills cancer cells and tumours
- Shrinks malignant tumours
- Selectively kills cancer cells
- More effective than chemotherapy
- Attacks cancer cells, leaving healthy cells intact
- Cures cancer
The legal ways for patients to access investigational drugs include taking part in clinical trials and those looking to try an experimental cancer treatment should talk to their doctor about their options.
loading...
FDA recently sent out warning letters to 14 companies, advising them to change or remove the fraudulent claims on their websites.
Loading...