[ELI5] How governments allow snake oil “medicine” to sell on TV, light night? Some of these products are dangerous to people, like prostate crap that will do nothing and may prevent the people to survive if diagnosed too late?

Question

[ELI5] How governments allow snake oil “medicine” to sell on TV, light night? Some of these products are dangerous to people, like prostate crap that will do nothing and may prevent the people to survive if diagnosed too late?

In: 1634

Answer 1

Lobbying. All that stuff falls under the category of supplemental care, which the FDA doesn’t regulate. It can make whatever claims it wants, as long as they put in fine print that it hasn’t actually been tested. The ingredients can be whatever they want, and they don’t need to tell consumers.

What’s even funnier are the ones that are accurate. My brother eats these kids multivitamins that claim they have 800% of the recommended amount.