The Food and Drug Administration quietly removed a page from its website warning consumers about bogus products and therapies that claim to treat or cure autism.
The page titled “Be Aware of Potentially Dangerous Products and Therapies that Claim to Treat Autism” was taken down in late December.
“Products or treatments claiming to cure autism are deceptive and misleading, because there is no cure for autism. The same is true of many products claiming to ‘treat’ autism or autism-related symptoms. Some may carry significant health risks,” the FDA had warned on the page.
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A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said that the article was “retired” at the end of last year as part of a “routine clean up of dated content.” Other older articles were also removed, the agency said.
The notice originated in 2017 and had been last updated in 2019.
The FDA said on the page that it had warned or taken action against companies hawking chelation therapies, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, detoxifying clay baths, raw camel milk, MMS (chlorine dioxide) and essential oils for making “improper claims” related to autism.
The agency’s notice recommended that consumers be wary of products claiming to treat a wide range of diseases and anything with claims of a “quick fix” or “miracle cures” including those marketed as a scientific breakthrough or containing secret ingredients.
None of the information on the FDA webpage was outdated or inaccurate, according to Helen Tager-Flusberg, director of the Center for Autism Research Excellence at Boston University, who’s leading the Coalition of Autism Scientists, a group of more than 300 researchers in the field.
“Removing information about dangerous treatments for autism for which there is no reputable evidence is yet another devastating blow to the autism community,” she said. “The treatments that have been removed, including chelation and hyperbaric oxygen therapy, are extremely dangerous and have already caused deaths to several autistic children. This news is devastating and will likely lead to more deaths to innocent autistic children.”
Other groups including the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Autism Science Foundation also said there was no new science to warrant the FDA action.
“The FDA continues to warn consumers about fraudulent and dangerous products to treat cancer, pain, diabetes and obesity. It is unclear why they have removed information about dangerous treatments for autism,” said Alycia Halladay, chief science officer at the Autism Science Foundation.
The update to the FDA website came roughly a month after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention altered a page on its website that had indicated that vaccines do not cause autism. The new version of the CDC webpage includes conflicting information and suggests the science is unsettled, a position condemned by both doctors and autism experts.
The changes reflect a dramatic shift at HHS under Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a long-time vaccine skeptic who has reportedly spent time in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber and aligned himself with people promoting such therapies.
HHS indicated that the FDA still maintains a different page on “medication health fraud,” which mentions autism.
“Unproven drug products for sale that claim to cure or treat autism are misleading and deceptive. They can lead to serious health problems while offering false hope for a condition that currently has no cure,” the page says.
