If you’re a health nut, you’ve probably been exposed to plenty of literature and advertisements for products that make claims that haven’t been approved by the FDA. These include:
- Herbal supplements
- Dietary supplements
- “Natural” treatments
These products line the shelves of health food stores, holistic medicine provider shops and other establishments. They’re very popular. One of the dangers of these products is that their claims have not been established as being true or false, however. There are standards to which they do have to adhere, but there is a definitive element of caveat emptor to consider when buying these supplements and other supplies. If you believe that one has caused you harm, you should definitely speak with a defective products attorney.
It’s Not Medicine
One of the things that you should understand before you start buying these products is what a double-blind study is. These are the types of studies that are usually conducted to get reliable data on the efficacy-and safety-of pharmaceutical products. Many of the supplements on the market have never been subjected to these types of studies. While the marketing for these products will sometimes claim that the scientific establishment doesn’t want you to know about the wonderful power of these pills, the manufacturers clearly do not want their claims scientifically tested, either.
Herbal and Dietery Supplements Do Get Recalled
The FDA does make recalls of these products from time to time. Some recent recalls include:
Healthy People Co. Dietary Supplements, manufactured by Healthy People Co. This was recalled in February of 2012 because the supplement had undeclared drug ingredients in it.
RegenArouse by Regeneca, Inc. was recalled in February of 2012 because the intimacy enhancement capsules were an unapproved new drug.
These supplements, of course, make claims that have not been approved by the FDA, but the FDA does have the authority to take them off of the market when they make specific claims or when they contain elements that run afoul of regulations.
When Defective Herbal and Dietery Supplements Harm People
A defective products attorney may be able to help you if you were injured by one of these products. The fact that they tend to qualify their claims by saying that they have not been evaluated by the FDA doesn’t provide the companies that manufacture these products with a shield against liability. Understanding how product liability law works should give you some insight into this.
Products can be held to be defective in their design, manufacture or advertising. No matter which way one of these products turns out to be defective, if it harms you, you should contact a personal injury attorney to see about whether or not seeking compensation via a lawsuit would be a viable option for you. If it is, the personal injury lawyer may want to represent you and go after the company in court. Any product that is on the market needs to be safe. Whether its claims are inflated or not, the product should not cause the consumers who utilize it to come to harm or to experience undisclosed side effects.