Not All Drugs on Market Have FDA Approval

The Washington-based U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers that some 2 percent of prescription drugs on the market lack FDA approval.

Not only are the drugs untested for their effectiveness, but they might actually be harmful, USA Today reports.

Many of these drugs contain unapproved active ingredients that been on the market prior to 1962 when an amendment to the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act required that all medication had to be proven effective.

We have concerns about their safety, about their quality, about their labeling, said Deborah Autor, FDA’s director of compliance.

Because the agency doesn’t have the resources to get all of these drugs off the market, it is targeting the ones it considers most dangerous.

The makers of these drugs say their medications must be safe and effective because doctors keep prescribing them.

Physicians and pharmacists are often unaware of the drugs’ approval status since they are listed in the Physician’s Desk Reference and advertised in medical journals.