Dietary companies are breaking the law by selling pills that falsely claim to protect people from the sun’s harmful rays, prompting the Food and Drug Administration to issue a slew of warning letters.
The letters have gone out to Advanced Skin Brightening Formula, Sunsafe Rx, Solaricare, and Sunergetic. The FDA says the companies’ description of the pills are giving people a false sense of security, because they don’t protect people against skin cancer, sunburn, or early aging caused by the sun, as they claim on their labels and packaging.
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“When the FDA sees companies taking advantage of people’s desire to protect themselves from the harmful effects of the sun — we’ll step in,” the agency said in a blog post. “There’s no pill or capsule that can replace your sunscreen.”
The companies must correct their violations by making changes on their websites and product packaging to make sure that none of the descriptions or claims they make violate federal law. To advertise their dietary pills as effective against sun damage, they would need to meet FDA standards for safety and effectiveness, which involves a long review and testing process by federal regulators.
The companies can respond to the FDA with a rebuttal if they believe they are following the law, or must otherwise respond within 15 days about how they corrected the violations.
One-fifth of U.S. residents are estimated to develop skin cancer, the most common type of cancer in the U.S., and most of those cancers are caused by exposure to natural and ultraviolet light. For protection against the sun, health officials encourage consumers to stick to lotions and sprays, or to stay in the shade or wear protective clothing.
