Avoid using imported medicines, especially for children. Medications
from other countries might not have been evaluated for safety and
effectiveness. These products may be addictive or contain other
dangerous ingredients.
The fall and winter flu season may bring out dishonest sellers hawking fraudulent products to unsuspecting consumers.
Some of these sellers illegally offer unproven products that claim to
prevent, mitigate, treat, or cure the flu – even though they have not
been evaluated or approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for
safety and effectiveness. These products can be found online, including
popular marketplaces, and in retail stores. They may be labeled as
dietary supplements, foods, hand sanitizers, nasal sprays, or devices.
These products might be dangerous to you and your family. The FDA
urges consumers to avoid fraudulent flu products and offers some tips on
how to spot them.
A Flu Vaccine Is the Best Prevention
Flu is a serious disease, caused by influenza viruses, that can lead to hospitalization and even death. Getting a flu vaccine is the best way to prevent this infectious disease and its serious complications.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend that
everyone age 6 months and older get vaccinated every year against
influenza. This is particularly so for people at an increased risk for
serious complications, including young children, adults 65 years and
older, and those with chronic medical conditions. For more information
on flu vaccine recommendations, visit this CDC page.
The FDA has approved numerous vaccines for the prevention of influenza. To find a flu vaccine near you, visit this page.
FDA-Approved Antiviral Medications for Flu
If you do get the flu, there are FDA-approved antiviral drugs,
available by prescription from your health care professional, to treat
it. There are several FDA-approved antiviral drugs recommended by the
CDC for use against circulating influenza viruses. These drugs work best
if started soon after the onset of symptoms (within 48 hours).
Flu antiviral medications are used to prevent or treat flu and are
available by prescription in the form of pills, liquids, inhalers, and
intravenous infusion. The various products are all approved for
adolescent and adult use, and they differ in the ages for which they are
approved to treat infants and children, ranging from 2-weeks-old to age
12.
If you get the flu, antiviral medications can
make your illness milder and may make you feel better faster. Antiviral
medications work best when started within the first two days of getting
sick.
If you are exposed to the flu, antiviral
medication can help prevent you from becoming sick. Talk to your health
care professional if you have been or may be near a person with the flu.
If you think you have the flu, talk to your health care professional. There are FDA-approved drugs to help with the flu.
Types of Fraudulent Flu Products
There are no legally marketed over-the-counter (OTC, or
non-prescription) drugs to prevent, treat, or cure the flu. But there
are legally marketed OTC drugs to reduce fever and to relieve muscle
aches, congestion, and other symptoms typically associated with the flu.
Dietary supplements, conventional foods (such as some herbal teas),
or devices (such as certain air filters and light therapies) that
fraudulently claim to prevent, mitigate, treat, or cure the flu have not
been evaluated by the FDA for safety and effectiveness.
The FDA is particularly concerned that fraudulent products might
cause people to delay, forgo, or stop the medical treatment they need,
leading to serious and life-threatening harm. The ingredients in
fraudulent products could lead to unexpected side effects and
interactions with other medications people may be taking.
Protect yourself and your family by looking out for potentially
fraudulent flu and antiviral products being sold without a prescription,
which may claim to:
- Reduce the severity and length of flu or other viral infections.
- Boost your immunity naturally without a flu vaccine.
- Act as a safe and effective alternative to the flu vaccine.
- Prevent catching the flu or viral infections.
- Be an effective treatment for flu or viral infections.
- Provide faster recovery from the flu or viral infections.
- Support your body’s natural immune defenses to fight off flu or other viruses.
Find Out if Your Online Pharmacy Is Safe
Fraudsters take advantage of unsuspecting people through websites appearing to be online pharmacies selling prescription drugs.
Legitimate online pharmacies do exist. But so do many websites that
look like safe online pharmacies but are actually fraudulent and
engaging in illegal activity. These websites may be selling unapproved
drugs that may be dangerous.
Unsure about an online pharmacy? Visit the FDA’s BeSafeRx
campaign to learn how to safely buy prescription medicines online. If
you have a question about a treatment or product, talk to your doctor or
other health care professional.
There Are No FDA-Approved Homeopathic Products
At your pharmacy and online, you may see products being sold and
advertised as homeopathic. The FDA is not aware of any proven benefits
of these products.
Homeopathic products are generally labeled as containing very small
amounts of highly diluted substances, including ingredients from plants,
animal or human sources, bacteria, minerals, and chemicals. The FDA has
found that some of these products contain active drug ingredients in
levels that far exceed the amount stated on the product’s label and
could cause significant harm to children. Therefore, we urge caution if
you are thinking about giving homeopathic flu, cough, and cold medicines
to children.
There are no FDA-approved homeopathic products. Homeopathic products
sold in the U.S. have not been approved by the FDA for any use and may
not meet modern standards for safety, effectiveness, and quality.
