Purell’s unproven disease-fighting claims get sanitized after FDA warning

Enlarge / Purell's marketing might need something like this. (credit: Getty | NBC, Lloyd Bishop)

The maker of Purell hand sanitizers is washing away some unproven marketing claims that its products reduce school absenteeism and prevent infections from germs such as Ebola, norovirus, flu, and certain drug-resistant infections.

The marketing disinfection comes after the Food and Drug Administration issued a warning letter to Purell's parent company, GOJO Industries. The letter, dated January 17 and released this week, stated that the company's claims violated federal regulations and that the agency now considers Purell hand sanitizers unapproved new drugs.

The FDA also noted that it is "unaware of any adequate and well-controlled clinical trials in the published literature that support" GOJO's claims.

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