FDA Hits Online Distributor for Unapproved Drugs, False Claims

In the FDA’s latest effort to crack down on illicit online distributors, the agency issued a warning letter to Nutra Pharma in Coral Springs, Florida for selling unapproved pain relief drugs.

The agency rapped the online marketer for claiming that its products could treat addiction and chronic pain, including pain stemming from serious conditions like cancer, shingles, fibromyalgia and diabetes.

The firm’s Nyloxin products contain cobra venom as the active ingredient. An FDA review found the products to be unapproved drugs and also misbranded, because they could not be labeled with adequate directions for use for the conditions they claimed to treat.

“These products have not been demonstrated to be safe or effective and may keep some patients from seeking appropriate, FDA-approved therapies,” Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said.