The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has warned Purell to stop making unproven claims that its hand sanitizers help eliminate Ebola, MRSA or the flu.
The FDA sent a warning letter to Gojo Industries, the parent company of Purell, for making numerous marketing claims that position its hand sanitizers as a pharmaceutical drug for Ebola, MRSA or the flu, rather than an over-the-counter topical antiseptic.
In the letter, the FDA director of compliance cited numerous examples of what the agency calls unproven claims for Purell products made on gojo.com, purell.com, and social media accounts for the brand.
The products in question were Purell advanced hand sanitizer gentle & free foam, Purell advanced hand sanitizer gel and Purell advanced hand sanitizer gentle & free foam ES6 starter kit.
According to the FDA, the company claims Purell "Kills more than 99.99% of most common germs that may cause illness in a healthcare setting, including MRSA & VRE" and "Purell Advanced Gel, Foam, and Ultra-Nourishing Foam Hand Sanitizer products demonstrated effectiveness against a drug resistant clinical strain of Candida auris in lab testing."
Also, the agency found in the "Frequently Asked Questions" section on gojo.com that the company claims "Purell Healthcare Advanced Hand Sanitizers, which are formulated with ethyl alcohol, may be effective against viruses such as the Ebola virus, norovirus, and influenza."
The FDA noted that it has no knowledge of any hand sanitizers that have been tested against Ebola viruses, including Purell's products.
The agency noted that while it does not allow hand sanitizer brands to make claims about efficacy against contracting viruses, such as those made by Purell, the agency pointed out that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends using alcohol-based hand sanitizer for flu prevention.
The FDA argued that Gojo Industries' marketing message about Purell appeared to give the impression that Purell products are drugs, "because they are intended for the diagnosis, cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease."
