COVID-19 FDA Update

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today continued to take action in the ongoing response effort to the COVID-19 pandemic:

• The FDA issued warning letters to two companies for selling fraudulent COVID-19 products, as part of the agency’s effort to protect consumers. There are currently no FDA-approved products to prevent or treat COVID-19. Consumers concerned about COVID-19 should consult with their health care provider.
  • The first seller warned, Noetic Nutraceuticals, offers CBD products for sale in the U.S. with misleading claims that the products are safe and/or effective for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.
  • The second seller warned, The Golden Road Kratom, offers kratom products for sale in the U.S. with misleading claims that the products are safe and/or effective for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

• The Agency issued a new FDA Voices titled, COVID-19 Supply Chain Update: Importation of Vital Food and Medical Products. It provides details on the FDA’s work to ensure the safety and security of the U.S. supply of food and medical products. Many of the medical products our health care workers and hospitals need to battle COVID-19 come from overseas, which makes the FDA’s Office of Regulatory Affairs (ORA) work imperative to ensure legitimate products are moving as quickly as possible through the ports of entry. At the same time, ORA imports staff also screens for, and blocks the entry of, unproven products that falsely claim to prevent, diagnose, treat or cure COVID-19.

• Over the weekend, FDA issued an emergency use authorization (EUA) to Everlywell, Inc. for the Everlywell COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit, the first standalone at-home sample collection kit that can be used with certain authorized tests. Everlywell’s kit is authorized to be used by individuals at home who have been screened using an online questionnaire that is reviewed by a health care provider. This allows an individual to self-collect a nasal sample at home using Everlywell’s authorized kit. The FDA has also authorized two COVID-19 diagnostic tests, performed at specific laboratories, for use with samples collected using the Everlywell COVID-19 Test Home Collection Kit.

• Last week, the FDA approved another Abbreviated New Drug Application for Hydroxychloroquine Sulfate Tablets USP, 200 mg for the treatment of: (1) Uncomplicated malaria due to P. falciparum, P. malariae, P. ovale, and P. vivax. (2) Chronic discoid lupus erythematosus and systemic lupus erythematosus in adults and (3) Treatment of acute and chronic rheumatoid arthritis in adults. Side effects of hydroxychloroquine include irreversible retinal damage, cardiac effects (including cardiomyopathy and QT prolongation), worsening of psoriasis and porphyria, proximal myopathy and neuropathy, neuropsychiatric events, and hypoglycemia. The FDA recently posted information regarding shortages of hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine to its drug shortages webpage due to a significant surge in demand. The agency is working with manufacturers to assess their supplies and is actively evaluating market demand for patients dependent on hydroxychloroquine and chloroquine for treatment of malaria, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis.

• Testing updates:
  • During the COVID-19 pandemic, the FDA has worked with more than 400 test developers who have already submitted or said they will be submitting EUA requests to the FDA for tests that detect the virus or antibodies to the virus.
  • To date, the FDA has authorized 103 tests under EUAs, which include 90 molecular tests, 12 antibody tests, and 1 antigen test.