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US regulator warns 3 firms over purported cure for Ebola virus

Three US companies that also market their products in Kenya face court action for claiming that some of their products can prevent, treat or even cure Ebola infection.

This happens at a time the World Health Organisation (WHO) has raised concerns over claims that blood from Ebola survivors is being sold in the back market in the affected West African countries.

On Wednesday, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) gave Natural Solutions Foundation, Young Living and doTERRA International, 15 days to drop any claims that their products can treat the disease or face legal action.

The companies mainly advertise their products such as essential oils and nutritional supplements through the internet or multi-level marketing. Essential oils, which have become popular in Kenya, are liquids extracted from plants and sold on claims that they offer various health benefits.

The Natural Solutions Foundation was first warned by the FDA in August after it offered its product, Nano Silva, to the Nigerian Government for treating people infected with Ebola.

This came after the Nigerian Government said it was going to use Nano Silva to treat four Ebola patients but dropped the plans soon after the FDA warning. The foundation has insisted the product can kill the Ebola virus.

Nano Silva was introduced in Kenya in 2011 by Benir International (K) Ltd and is still available on demand, according to the management.

In her letter to the Young Living group, Mary K. Engle of FDA cites cases of mislabelling, unsupported claims in advertisements and on the internet, and demands that the company drops the claims immediately.

“Failure to promptly correct these violations may result in legal action without further notice, including seizure and or injunction,” says Engle, an assistant director with the FDA.

Some of Young Living’s products include Frankincense Essential Oils from the tree Boswella Carterii, mainly found in Somalia where its resins are harvested and distilled at a factory in Parklands, Nairobi.

CURATIVE PROPERTIES

“Products marketed in Kenya as essential oils or nutritional supplements do not qualify to lay claim that they have curative or medicinal properties,” says Dr Kipkerich Koskei, the chief government chemist.

National guidelines published by the Pharmacy and Poisons Board in 2012 say there should not be any medicinal or therapeutic claims in relation to use of such products for treatment or averting of a disease condition.

In a statement reported by The Washington Post, Young Living says the company was co-operating fully with the FDA regarding its inquiry.

“In the coming days, we will be contacting all our membership to ensure that they understand how to best use our products and remain compliant with regulatory directives,” says the statement.

WHO has warned of an emerging black market trading in Ebola survivors’ blood.

Recently, Dr Margaret Chan, director of WHO, expressed concerns over illicit trade in convalescent serum – as the blood of survivors is called - in affected countries as this many not have been screened for other diseases, such as HIV.

When the blood of Ebola survivors is transferred to another patient, doctors say, the sufferer appears to benefit from the boost to their immune system.

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