Herpes 'remedies' sold on Amazon and Walmart pose public health risk, FDA warns
· Medical Xpressby Ellyn Vohnoutka
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Creams, sprays and washes that promise relief from genital herpes are easy to order online, but none of them has been approved to treat the infection.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has sent warning letters to Amazon and Walmart over herpes products sold on their websites. The agency said the items are unapproved drugs that can't legally be shipped across state lines.
"Effective treatment requires diagnosis and supervision by a licensed health care professional," the FDA wrote in both letters, dated Oct. 1.
Agency staff bought the products from the two sites in July. Outside sellers listed them, but Amazon and Walmart stored and shipped the orders through their own fulfillment programs, the FDA explained.
The Amazon letter names nine products: FemiClear, HClear for him, HerpCare Ointment, HerpCare Spray, Herstat GST, Genital Herpes Ointment, RoyceDerm Herpes Relief Cream, Terragen HG Formula and Genital Herpes Intimate Wash.
The Walmart letter cites three of the same items: HClear for him, Herstat GST and Terragen HG Formula.
Labels on the products claimed to fight outbreaks, cut down on repeat flare-ups, soothe sores and even fight viruses.
Several are sold as homeopathic, meaning they're made with heavily diluted ingredients. The FDA noted that homeopathic products face the same approval rules as any other drug.
The bigger concern is what happens when people rely on these products instead of seeing a doctor.
Delayed care can raise the risk of serious problems from sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including infertility, sepsis and death, the agency warned.
People who think they've been treated may also pass an infection to a partner without realizing it.
Both companies have 15 business days to tell the FDA how they'll fix the problems. If they don't, the agency could seize products or go to court to stop sales.
Genital herpes is caused by two types of herpes simplex virus. It's common in the United States, with about 572,000 new infections in 2018 among people ages 14 to 49, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Many people never notice symptoms. When they do, mild signs can look like a pimple or ingrown hair, so most people with herpes don't know they have it, the CDC says.
There's no cure. But prescription antiviral medicines can prevent outbreaks or shorten them, and taking one daily lowers the chance of spreading the virus to a partner.
A health care provider can often diagnose herpes by examining a sore or testing a swab from it. If no sores are present, a blood test can look for antibodies to the virus.
Getting checked matters for other reasons, too. Herpes sores make it easier for HIV to enter the body.
People who are pregnant should tell their provider about any herpes history, since the virus can pass to a baby during delivery and cause a life-threatening infection called neonatal herpes.
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