The FDA Is Under More Pressure to Regulate Homeopathic Products
The FTC says the FDA's policies could could be harmful.
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Federal agencies don't normally tell each other how to do their jobs. But the Federal Trade Commission, which polices advertising claims, did just that last week when it asked the Food and Drug Administration to reevaluate its light-touch regulatory approach to an obscure corner of the over-the-counter drug market: homeopathic products.
The FTC filed official comments that said it is "concerned" that the FDA's policy on homeopathy conflicts with the FTC's requirement that medical advertising claims be supported by evidence. The split "may harm consumers and create confusion for advertisers," the agency wrote in comments approved unanimously by the five FTC commissioners.