March 9, 2008
Counterfeit Colgate: A Wake up Call for the FDA
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration aggressively regulates products such as food, veterinary products, cosmetics, and medical devices in order to advance and protect the public health. As a result of some of the lethal side effects of medications, the FDA has focused its attention on the safety standards of prescription drugs. Although the FDA has demonstrated adequate surveillance of pharmaceutical drugs, they have failed to sufficiently regulate nutraceuticals and other consumer products, like toothpaste. Recently, counterfeit “Colgate” toothpaste was found in discount stores in several states across the country. It was detected to contain a toxic chemical known as diethylene glycol (DEG), which is illegally used as an artificial sweetener, thickening agent or solvent, and is commonly found in antifreeze. Dr. Nestor Sosa M.D., shown to the right, is a University of Miami trained physician who discovered DEG in other consumer products like cough syrup. He claims that DEG may result in weakness and tingling in the legs, kidney failure, neurological degeneration, and possibly death. Unfortunately, it was only after customers experienced these harmful side effects that the FDA recognized the situation. Even after the toxic side effects were exposed, the FDA continued to take a passive role in regulation. Since the discovery, the company has only pulled the product from shelves in Massachusetts . It still remains in stores in Pennsylvania , New York , Maryland , Florida and New Jersey , and customers in other areas have only received a warning to stay away from the item. Douglas Arbesfeld, a spokesman for the FDA, seemed to take a nonchalant stance on the situation when he stated, “It's (DEG) a low health risk but the bottom line is, it doesn't belong in toothpaste.” It is irresponsible for Arbesfeld to minimize the significance of the side effects of [DEG], particularly after medical doctors from prestigious universities claim that the toxin may be extremely risky and unsafe.
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I found your post to be very well written--I enjoyed your consistent point of view and thought that you definitely thought out the structure of your argument. I think you make an excellent point in stating that "the Federal Drug Administration is one of the largest regulatory businesses in the world, and the public should be reassured that the company will not only meticulously inspect prescription drugs, but also carefully examine everyday household products." Before reading your post, I was under the impression that the FDA was extremely keen and determined to eliminate dangerous prescription drugs as well as household products from ever being available to the public. These findings regarding counterfeit Colgate are entirely disturbing and shocking; the fact that an organization as expansive and powerful as the FDA can allow such a visible brand to be tampered with and sold simply makes me question the legitimacy of their work to begin with. How many other nutraceuticals should I really trust if harmful products are only being discovered by discerning customers (Washington Post Article “Counterfeit Toothpaste Found In Arlington Shop, Police Say”)? I find it incredibly interesting that the company that is actually being maligned in the process--Colgate-Palmolive--is the one that is taking the greatest measures to educate the public and protect them. How much faith should the American public really vest in regulatory agencies when consumer brands are actually doing the work? You also state that Colgate-Palmolive is providing "additional representatives on its consumer information line and extended their hours of operation to answer any questions about the counterfeit product," an admirable benefit that is the complete antithesis to the bureaucratic lack of services the FDA is providing. I think you could have strengthened your argument by providing a bit more background about the counterfeit toothpaste, or expanding on why toothpastes in Massachusetts were the only ones pulled from the shelves. Have there ever been instances involving harmful nutraceuticals in the past that the FDA was extremely slow in catching? Overall however, I think you chose an extremely important and prevalent topic to address in your post, and definitely made me reconsider how much faith I should vest in the FDA’s regulatory “work”.
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