Supplements Claiming to Ease Opioid Addiction Come Under Scrutiny<br />Opiate Detox Pro’s label says, “Opioid addiction ease,”<br />and the company’s website claims, “Our ingredients are the most effective on the market for treating withdrawal symptoms.”<br />Mr. Beekman said he did not have scientific evidence to prove<br />that the product worked, and would not be conducting research to buttress the company’s claims.<br />In the past few weeks, reacting to other agency warnings, Amazon has stopped making available some products claiming to assist in opioid withdrawal<br />“We monitor the products sold on our website, and when appropriate, we remove products from the website,” said Erik Fairleigh, an Amazon spokesman.<br />When they claim to treat diseases, including addiction, supplements shift into the category of drugs,<br />and companies wanting to make such claims must follow the drug agency’s approval process to show that their products are safe and effective.<br />And the drug agency’s website notes that the array of dietary supplements making health claims has grown tremendously in recent years.<br />The Center for Science in the Public Interest recently conducted a market analysis to identify<br />companies promoting dietary supplements as effective aids for opioid withdrawal.<br />“They claim we were trying to treat addiction as a disease.”<br />Because dietary supplements are regulated differently than food and drugs, these products do not require clinical trials before entering the market.
