The FDA has sent warning letters to nine companies that have made clinically unfounded claims that their drugs are effective in lessening the effects of avian flu. "Claims made by the companies about their treatments include phrases like 'prevents avian flu,' 'a natural virus shield' and 'kills the virus,'" reports the Associate Press. Most of the drugs are dietary supplements. The FDA says that the nature of the marketing qualifies these supplements as "new drugs" that must be clinically tested before they can be sold.
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