Beth Mole at ArsTechnica has an article about the levels of belladonna in homeopathic teething products made by Hyland's:
After investigating reports that more than 400 babies were sickened and 10 died in connection with homeopathic teething products, the Food and Drug Administration confirmed Friday that it had indeed found elevated levels of the toxic substance, belladonna, in the products.
Belladonna, also known as deadly nightshade, was the prime suspect of the investigation from the beginning, which Ars reported about last fall. Nevertheless, the products' maker, Hyland's, would not agree to recall the products when it was notified of the FDA's conclusion, the agency reported
In a response to Ars, Hyland's has acknowledged that there are some inconsistencies in the amount of belladonna in its products, but the company said that it has not seen any evidence from the FDA indicating that the elevated levels were toxic or excessive. [...]The FDA said it had found inconsistent amounts of belladonna in Hyland's products. Some of the amounts were "far exceeding" what was intended.
[...] As before, the FDA is urging parents to avoid the homeopathic teething products and toss any already purchased. The FDA does not evaluate or approve the homeopathic products, which have no proven health benefit.
Also: Hylands FAQ about the discontinuation.
(Score: 2) by sjames on Thursday February 02 2017, @01:40AM
All they had to do was post actual tests or a reference to them. Death Monkey did find some actual FDA measurements posted seperately. Those do not support the theory that the tablets caused any adverse reactions.
Personally, I'm glad that the FDA is limited, mostly in the area of herbal medicine. It's all some people can afford. Would you leave them with no options (other than burglarizing a pharmacy) at all?
I don't advocate just disbanding the FDA, but I would fully support replacing it with an agency more tightly focused on actual safety and rational risk assessment.