I am not making this up...

The US FDA has filed a seizure and forfeiture complaint for unapproved medical devices called, "Dr Ho's Double Massage" and "Dr Ho's Muscle Massage."

But, in all seriousness, this is serious:

The devices, components, and accessories, are adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because they are unapproved class III medical devices and they do not meet mandatory performance standards. In addition, the devices are labeled for use to treat serious medical conditions, including diabetic neuropathy, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and migraine headaches. Since these devices have not been approved by FDA, the safety parameters associated with their use and the efficacy of the devices for use to treat diseases have not been determined. These devices are misbranded because their labeling lacks adequate directions for intended use, they are not labeled prescription use only, and they are not being used by consumers by order of a licensed practitioner. They are further misbranded because they were manufactured at an unregistered facility.

Protecting the public against products illegally marketed without FDA approval is an important part of the mission of our agency," stated FDA Acting Commissioner von Eschenbach. "The unapproved claims on products such as these often lead patients to forego proven therapies, which can cause serious health consequences."

Tags

More like this

Remember Boyd Haley? He's the Professor and former Chairman of the Department of Chemistry at the University of Kentucky whose formerly respectable career tanked because he fell into pseudoscience. For whatever reason, a while back he became enamored first of dental amalgam quackery to the point…
Perhaps the #1 reason I started this blog was to distinguish therapeutic natural products (i.e., single chemical entities derived from plants, microorganisms, etc.) from questionably-marketed herbal and non-herbal dietary supplements. After doing research and teaching in this area for at least 13…
This whole "cosmeceutical" thing probably shouldn't be in "Medicine & Health" but we did call your attention to today's news item back on 27 July 2007: Drug maker Allergan announced at a stock analyst's meeting this afternoon that it is filing a New Drug Application (NDA) for a cosmetic form…
Rebecca Skloot, journalist, University of Memphis writing professor, and author of the upcoming book, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (pre-order here), just brought to my attention this commentary by Dr Pieter Cohen in the New England Journal of Medicine entitled, "American Roulette --…

It may be serious but come on, Dr. Ho? I just hope the name is real and not copywrite, I can think of many other products that would benefit from that brand name. It could be right up there with Victoria's Secret. Great slogans come to mind such as "you deserve a Ho today" etc.

By CanuckRob (not verified) on 20 Jun 2006 #permalink