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Amazon receives FDA warning letter for supplements with undeclared ingredients

fda.gov

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Re: Amazon receives FDA warning letter for supplements with undeclared ingredients

#41

Post by dahart »

bpodgursky wrote: post #12
Sanzig wrote: post #6

> FDA confirmed through laboratory analyses that the “MANNERS Energy Boost,” “Round 2,” “Genergy,” and “X Max Triple Shot Energy Honey” products, purchased on www.amazon.com, contained the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) tadalafil; and the “WeFun,” “Big Guys Male Energy Supplement,” and “Mens Maximum Energy Supplement” products, also purchased on www.amazon.com, contained the API sildenafil. These ingredients…

Can we have an honest conversation about whether there's any good reason for Viagra to require a prescription? The barrier right now is that you have to waste 2 hours and $100 to tell a doctor that you have ED. What's the point? It's not stopping anyone except people too poor or busy to jump through the hoops.

If we’re going to have an honest conversation, Sildenafil does have some serious potential side effects and contraindications. Googling “why does viagra require a prescription?” I get an answer attributed to Healthline: “due to these severe (but rare) side-effects, Viagra requires a prescription”. At least acknowledge that, it is a good reason.

A doc visit does take time but it neither takes 2 hours nor costs $100 for me, co-pay is still $20 I think (or maybe covered 100% once a year), and the visit might be 45 minutes when the clinic is pretty busy. There is plenty that’s messed up and wrong with our health care system and insurance, but maybe the minor hurdle of having to require a doc to check on the potential for side-effects really is justified?

Another decent reason, I speculate, is that the drug is relatively new and we don’t know the long term effects of overuse, nor all of the contraindications. If it’s available over the counter and many men use it when they don’t really need it, just because it’s available and easy, there could be dramatic unforeseen consequences. Like a lot of drugs, Viagra might be something that people look to as an easier alternative to changing habits or doing preventative work.

Re: Amazon receives FDA warning letter for supplements with undeclared ingredients

#42

Post by bryanrasmussen »

arcticfox wrote: post #37
noodlesUK wrote: post #26

I think with the state of things, Amazon should be completely banned from selling anything that might be construed a supplement. They have such lax controls that your protein powder or vitamin pills might contain pretty much anything. Even reputable brands bought from their brand storefront might be counterfeit [1]. You’d be shocked at the number of things that are counterfeit. A friend of mine recently bought a nich…

I used to think my wife was silly for spending more at beauty stores for her skincare products, but after realizing how insane Amazon's quality controls are, I think someone needs to actually shut them down. I wonder if there are any grounds for lawsuits. The number of counterfeit products they sell, even under "Sold by Amazon.com" is WILD. Zero supply chain discipline.

obviously if Amazon sold something that damaged someone it would be grounds for suit under tort law, in which case the sky's the limit, and guessing the easy to find details of their behavior over the years any American jury would punish them.

Re: Amazon receives FDA warning letter for supplements with undeclared ingredients

#43

Post by dec0dedab0de »

I don’t think Amazon should have any protections for being a marketplace. Especially since we all found out about co-mingling, and how reviews are transferable between vendors and sometimes between products.

They should be liable for any damages caused by these drugs, as well as patent/copyright/trademark infringement for any counterfeit products.

I don’t feel the same for ebay, reverb, or facebook. I’m not sure where the line should be, but I’m certain Amazon crossed it. Plus their business model infected Newegg and even Walmart, and who knows how many others, it just needs to stop.

Maybe it should be that either you’re a retailer or a marketplace, but never both? I don’t know the answer but it sucks and has sucked for a long time, and im too lazy to stop using it so i guess im part of the problem.

Re: Amazon receives FDA warning letter for supplements with undeclared ingredients

#44

Post by beejiu »

bpodgursky wrote: post #12
Sanzig wrote: post #6

> FDA confirmed through laboratory analyses that the “MANNERS Energy Boost,” “Round 2,” “Genergy,” and “X Max Triple Shot Energy Honey” products, purchased on www.amazon.com, contained the active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) tadalafil; and the “WeFun,” “Big Guys Male Energy Supplement,” and “Mens Maximum Energy Supplement” products, also purchased on www.amazon.com, contained the API sildenafil. These ingredients…

Can we have an honest conversation about whether there's any good reason for Viagra to require a prescription? The barrier right now is that you have to waste 2 hours and $100 to tell a doctor that you have ED. What's the point? It's not stopping anyone except people too poor or busy to jump through the hoops.

This is how it is in the UK now, it's an OTC drug, so you can simply buy it in pharmacy or online.

Re: Amazon receives FDA warning letter for supplements with undeclared ingredients

#45

Post by wccrawford »

thedougd wrote: post #32

Do American grocery stores have better controls or does their broker model just happen to filter the junk?

IMO, there's a couple things going on there.

First, grocery stores work on a 3% margin, so if they have a ton of returns on something, it costs them a ton of money from credit card fees and wages, and possibly from losing the cost of some portion of the product.

Second, grocery stores have limited space and are picky about what they'll put in their store. They want quality goods that will sell well, and they don't want to cannibalize other products that would make them more money. So random supplements don't find their way to their shelves.

Re: Amazon receives FDA warning letter for supplements with undeclared ingredients

#46

Post by tacheiordache »

deeth_starr_v wrote: post #28

It’s been common knowledge that any Chinese ED supplement on Amazon that is effective has Viagra in it. This is not a bug but a feature

> It’s been common knowledge that any Chinese ED supplement on Amazon that is effective has Viagra in it. This is not a bug but a feature

And who knows what else!!!

I'd never ingest anything that has Chinese provenance. Chinese garlic comes to mind as the latest thing to try to avoid. Not sure if true but it seems to be grown in sewage. I'd rather be safe and avoid that altogether.

Re: Amazon receives FDA warning letter for supplements with undeclared ingredients

#47

Post by hotpotamus »

dopa42365 wrote: post #36
pbj1968 wrote: post #16

Heard a talk once by someone that managed nutrition for an NFL team. She said periodically clusters of players would pop positive for meth and inevitably it would be some new supplement that was giving them results and they told all their teammates about it. They’d just tell them to quit using it and move on. Interesting story, possibly true.

Any even remotely WADA compliant drug testing uses chromatography, this story is most likely false.

I don't really know the details, but I assume chromatography can detect meth no problem, so I assume that's not the problem with the story. The skepticism on GP's part is mostly that the meth was consumed unwittingly; perhaps that's just the story the players tell. But it seems plausible at least.

Re: Amazon receives FDA warning letter for supplements with undeclared ingredients

#48

Post by junofan »

lokar wrote: post #15
bpodgursky wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can we have an honest conversation about whether there's any good reason for Viagra to require a prescription? The barrier right now is that you have to waste 2 hours and $100 to tell a doctor that you have ED. What's the point? It's not stopping anyone except people too poor or busy to jump through the hoops.

A middle ground is to let a pharmacist dispense it after going over side effects, instructions, interactions and existing conditions (without a Rx).

Feels a little silly to be forced to have a chat with the lady at the grocery store pharmacy about dick pills whenever I might need them. I can just order it on Amazon apparently.

Re: Amazon receives FDA warning letter for supplements with undeclared ingredients

#49

Post by jdksmdbtbdnmsm »

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #42
arcticfox wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I used to think my wife was silly for spending more at beauty stores for her skincare products, but after realizing how insane Amazon's quality controls are, I think someone needs to actually shut them down. I wonder if there are any grounds for lawsuits. The number of counterfeit products they sell, even under "Sold by Amazon.com" is WILD. Zero supply chain discipline.

obviously if Amazon sold something that damaged someone it would be grounds for suit under tort law, in which case the sky's the limit, and guessing the easy to find details of their behavior over the years any American jury would punish them.

Only a tiny few Americans can afford filing such types of lawsuits, and only a tiny few of those people are interested in pursuing such things.

Re: Amazon receives FDA warning letter for supplements with undeclared ingredients

#50

Post by JumpCrisscross »

dahart wrote: post #41
bpodgursky wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can we have an honest conversation about whether there's any good reason for Viagra to require a prescription? The barrier right now is that you have to waste 2 hours and $100 to tell a doctor that you have ED. What's the point? It's not stopping anyone except people too poor or busy to jump through the hoops.

If we’re going to have an honest conversation, Sildenafil does have some serious potential side effects and contraindications. Googling “why does viagra require a prescription?” I get an answer attributed to Healthline: “due to these severe (but rare) side-effects, Viagra requires a prescription”. At least acknowledge that, it is a good reason. A doc visit does take time but it neither takes 2 hours nor costs $100 fo…

> maybe the minor hurdle of having to require a doc to check on the potential for side-effects really is justified?

Viagra is trivially available on the black market because many people don’t want to put up with that B.S. Antibiotics have a public interest in being gatekept; they harm everyone if abused. A similar argument can be made for addictive substances.

Merely-harmful drugs, on the other hand, can be disclaimed and, where the clinical and fatal doses are close, diluted. Beyond that, we’re manufacturing busywork.

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