New Round Of Warnings Issued By FDA Operation Quack Hack Regarding Bogus COVID-19 Products
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A new round of warnings has been issued by the FDA's Operation Quack Hack, which is designed to go after bogus COVID-19 products. The FDA says it has identified more than 1,000 fraudulent and unproven medical products related to COVID-19.
Officials say they're potentially dangerous and should be avoided.
The FDA has this warning about bogus COVID-19 products, highlighting unproved and illegally marketed products that make false claims -- like being able to prevent or cure the virus.
Federal health officials say deceptive and misleading products might cause Americans to delay or stop appropriate medical treatment, leading to serious and life-threatening harm and the ingredients in them could be dangerous.
"It's likely that the products do not do what they claim and it's possible that the product ingredients could cause unexpected side effects and could interact with and potentially interfere with your other medications," the PSA said.
The FDA launched Operation Quack Hack in March 2020 to go after bogus COVID-19 products. It's resulted in 114 warning letters to sellers, 223 reports sent to online marketplaces and more than 271 abuse complaints sent to companies.
"So-called miracle cures which claim scientific breakthroughs or contain secret ingredients are likely a sham," the PSA said.
Fraudulent products haven't been evaluated by the FDA for safety and effectiveness. Other things to look out for include products that claim to treat a wide range of ailments and quick fixes and the FDA also identified more than 200 hand sanitizer products that consumers should not use due to contamination that could cause serious injuries.
Health officials say it's best to use popular brands of alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
Also, the only proven way to prevent COVID-19 is with one of the three approved vaccines.
