Stop claiming hand sanitizer can stop flu, ebola and other viruses, FDA tells Purell
The makers of Purell have been told to stop claiming their hand sanitizer can stop the flu and other viruses.
The Food and Drug Administration sent a letter to GOJO Industries, the creator of Purell, earlier this month warning them to stop making unproven claims in their marketing that their products can eliminate viruses such as the flu, norovirus and Ebola.
The letter listed examples of these claims found on the company’s websites and social media pages.
On one webpage, the company said the hand sanitizer when paired with teaching students about “good hand hygiene” reduced student absenteeism by 52 percent and teacher absenteeism by 10 percent.
The FDA said these claims “go beyond merely describing the general intended use of a topical antiseptic.”
In its “Frequently Asked Questions” section, the company suggested that its hand sanitizer could be effective in preventing the flu, Ebola and norovirus, the letter says.
In response to the question: “Are PURELL® Hand Sanitizer products effective against the flu?” the company said that the FDA doesn’t let hand sanitizer brands make “viral claims.”
“But from a scientific perspective, influenza is an enveloped virus,” the answer read, according to the FDA. “Enveloped viruses in general are easily killed or inactivated by alcohol.”
When asked if Purell is “effective against Ebola,” the company answered that it wasn’t aware of any hand sanitizers that had been tested against the virus, according to the FDA.
“However, it is important to note that the Ebola virus is an enveloped virus,” GOJO wrote, according to the FDA. “Enveloped viruses in general are easily killed or inactivated by alcohol.”
The FDA said in the letter that it is unaware of any “adequate and well-controlled studies” that support the claim that killing bacteria or viruses on the skin reduces infection or disease caused by them.
The FDA said GOJO is responsible for investigating and correcting the violations it lists and for preventing them from happening again.
A Friday statement from Samantha Williams, GOJO spokesperson, said the company “took immediate action” in response to the FDA’s letter.
The company has started updating its websites and content, the statement said.
“It is important to emphasize that the FDA letter was not related to the safety or quality of our products, or our manufacturing processes,” Williams said in the statement. “Our products can and should continue to be used as part of good hand hygiene practice, to reduce germs.”
This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 12:33 PM with the headline "Stop claiming hand sanitizer can stop flu, ebola and other viruses, FDA tells Purell."
