Antibacterial claims won't wash
The government said the germ killers aren't any better than plain soap.
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Those popular antibacterial washes are no more effective in preventing disease than a good scrubbing with ordinary soap and water.
That's the conclusion of federal health advisers, who warned manufacturers they would have to prove their products are better if they expect to continue making such claims to the public.
Panelists also said soaps that use synthetic chemicals -- as do many products that claim to eliminate 99 percent of germs they encounter -- could contribute to the growth of bacteria resistant to antibiotics.
Those risks, coupled with a lack of demonstrated benefits compared with soap and water, raised the prospect of new limits on an industry that has grown astronomically in the past decade.
No added benefit
The panel voted 11-1 that the washes offer no added benefit, but it did not recommend that the FDA take any specific regulatory action against antibacterials. It did urge the agency to study the products' risks vs. benefits.
"There's no evidence they are a good value," Dr. Alastair Wood, chairman of the Nonprescription Drugs Advisory Committee, said after the meeting.
Panelist Dr. Mary E. Tinetti said that unless antibacterials can show some added benefit, "I think we're seeing a lot of sentiment against [antibacterials] being marketed to the consumer."
Still, committee members said such products reduce infections as well as soap and water do. The experts also wondered whether antibacterials may provide added benefit to some people who are particularly at risk for certain illnesses.
The FDA is not bound by the decisions of its advisory panels, but often follows their advice. The agency has the authority to add warning labels to or restrict the marketing of such soaps and related items, but it has given no indication any such actions are imminent.
Industry's assertion
Representatives of the soap industry say antibacterials are safe and more effective than regular soap, though they provided little data to support that assertion. The industry contends that killing germs is better than washing them off.
"The importance of controlling bacteria in the home is no different than the professional setting," said Elizabeth Anderson, associate general counsel for the Cosmetic, Toiletry and Fragrance Association. "We feel strongly that consumers must continue to have the choice to use these products."
Industry representatives said they would provide more data to the FDA showing the products are safe and effective.
FDA officials and panelists raised concerns about whether the antibacterials contribute to the growth of drug-resistant bacteria, and said the agency has not found any medical studies that definitively linked specific antibacterial products to reduced rates of infection.
Both kinds of soaps reduced infections in households, but neither one worked better than the other, experts told the panel.
They're killers
Antibacterial products kill most of the bacteria they encounter. Regular soap helps separate bacteria from the skin so the bacteria wash down the drain or transfer to a towel.
Dr. Stuart B. Levy, president of the Alliance for Prudent Use of Antibiotics, said laboratory studies have suggested the soaps sometimes leave behind bacteria that have a better ability to flush threatening substances -- from antibacterial soap chemicals to antibiotics intended to cure infections.
"What we're seeing is evolution in action," he said of the process.
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