FDA removes page warning against fake autism ‘treatments’ like raw camel milk and chlorine dioxide

FDA page once warned people against using ‘miracle mineral supplement’ which contains chlorine dioxide – a dangerous chemical

Late last year, the Food and Drug Administration quietly removed a page from its website warning people of dangerous products and therapies that baselessly purport to treat autism, such as drinking raw camel’s milk, chelation therapies, chlorine dioxide and others.

The webpage titled “Be Aware of Potentially Dangerous Products and Therapies that Claim to Treat Autism” warned people of the “significant health risks” some products that claim to “cure” or “treat” autism or autism symptoms carry.

“The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) plays an important role in warning companies against making improper claims about their products’ intended use as a treatment or cure for autism or autism-related symptoms,” an archived version of the webpage says.

But the warnings do not exist on the FDA’s website anymore.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which the FDA falls under, told the BMJ in January that the page was “retired” during a “routine clean up” of dated content. The HHS spokesperson said that other older articles were also removed.

The Independent has asked the FDA if it plans to create a new warning page.

Since becoming HHS Secretary, Kennedy has adopted new approaches to understanding and treating autism, which many professionals have scrutinized for misinformation (Getty Images)

“It may be an older page, but those warnings are still necessary,” said Zoe Gross, a director at the Autistic Self Advocacy Network, told ProPublica. “People are still being preyed on by these alternative treatments like chelation and chlorine dioxide. Those can both kill people.”

The page cautioned people against using “miracle mineral supplement,” a water solution containing chlorine dioxide, which is a bleaching agent that is considered toxic to humans and can result in life-threatening situations.

The page also carried warnings about raw camel’s milk, also occasionally marketed as a treatment for autism, given it can carry foodborne illnesses.

Information about chelation therapies, a medical procedure that removes toxic heavy metals, such as lead poisoning or iron overload, from the body, were also mentioned on the page. They are not an approved treatment for autism. A prescription is required and should only be conducted under professional supervision.

Alternative medicine and treatments are often marketed toward people who are suspicious of modern medicine, prefer a “natural” approach or disagree with conventional medical approaches. However, they can carry health risks that can put children’s lives in danger.

While the removal of the website pages may be routine, it comes at a time when information about autism is being changed by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.

FDA's website once warned people against deceptive and misleading treatments or therapies to improve or 'cure' autism, but those no longer exist (AFP via Getty Images)

Kennedy has a long history of promoting unproven theories and claims about autism, such as vaccines cause autism, exaggerating the inability of people with autism to live independently and associating environmental factors with autism. Since becoming secretary, Kennedy has had the department adopt the view that there is a link between acetometaphin (such as Tylenol) use in pregnancy and autism – which doctors have rejected.

The FDA does have a webpage dedicated to “health fraud scams,” but there are no listed medicines, treatments or therapies under the autism section.

Other healthcare websites, such as the U.K’s National Health Service, house webpages warning against using alternative, unproven treatment and therapies for autism. As has the Autism Science Foundation and the Autism Research Institute.