Go Beyond Claims To Stay Safe

Germs and bacteria are the enemy when it comes to staying healthy, so we all wash our hands. If you work in a public office setting, hand washing is frequent and part of the daily routine.
Some offices even take it a step further by installing hand sanitizers and providing antiseptic products – and some of these may come with claims that they can prevent MRSA infections.

Don’t be lulled into a false sense of security because such statements are unproven, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus) is a bacterium that can cause severe – even life-threatening – infections that do not respond to standard treatment with the antibiotic methicillin.

“Staphylococcus aureus itself is a very aggressive organism,” says Dr. Edward Cox, director of FDA’s Office of Antimicrobial Products.

“It’s often associated with patients in hospitals who have weakened immune systems, but the bacterium can also cause significant skin infections and abscesses in a normal, healthy person,” Cox says.

“And it can get into the bloodstream and, less frequently, may involve the heart valve, which is very difficult to treat.”

But this antibiotic-resistant strain is even more difficult to treat. “With MRSA, a number of the antibiotic drugs we typically used often don’t work, so we lose treatment options we used to rely upon,” Cox says.

Crackdown On Claims

FDA is cracking down on companies that break federal law by promoting their products as preventing MRSA infections and other diseases without agency review and approval.

“Consumers are being misled if they think these products you can buy in a drug store or from other places will protect them from a potentially deadly infection,” says Deborah Autor, compliance director at FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research.

Examples of unproven claims found on product labels are:

•Kills over 99.9% of MRSA

•Helps prevent skin infections caused by MRSA and other germs

•Effective against a broad spectrum of pathogens, including MRSA

One company claims that its hand sanitizing lotion prevents infection from the bacterium E. coli and the H1N1 flu virus. And another firm claims its “patented formulation of essential plant oils” kills the bacterium Salmonella. These claims are also unproven and, therefore, illegal.

“FDA has not approved any products claiming to prevent infection from MRSA, E. coli, Salmonella, or H1N1 flu, which a consumer can just walk into a store and buy,” says Autor. “These products give consumers a false sense of protection.”

Advice For Consumers

•Don’t buy over-the-counter hand sanitizers or other products that claim to prevent infection from MRSA, E. coli, Salmonella, flu, or other bacteria or viruses.

•Ask your pharmacist or other health care professional for help in distinguishing between reliable and questionable information on product labels and company websites.

•In general, wash hands often, especially before handling food, to help avoid getting sick.

•Wash hands with warm water and soap for 20 seconds. For children, this means the time it takes to sing the “Happy Birthday” song twice.

Staying Safe Strategy

WMB believes the key to keeping yourself safe and protected is getting quality information from reliable sources, especially FDA. Carefully read all product labels and check all claims.

Never take anything at face value, no matter how legitimate it looks. Don’t let fear get in the way of common sense when it comes evaluating products for your personal protection.

If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

Ken Cocuzzo

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