However, the AAHP feels it is necessary to clarify misleading issues raised in a nationally syndicated Associated Press article, "Zicam Not Alone in Side Effect Reports," which questions the safety of homeopathic medicines in general. Consumers and healthcare professionals alike should be assured that the FDA's action in regard to certain Zicam products does not apply to this class of drugs as a whole. Rather, the FDA's advisory relates only to the nasal application of a specific zinc product.

Homeopathic medications are regulated by the FDA and have been used safely in the United States since before the passage of the 1938 federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act. Homeopathic medicines have an extraordinary record of safety. The FDA's Compliance Policy Guide (CPG 7132.15) "Conditions Under Which Homeopathic Drugs May be Marketed" has been an effective and workable way to regulate homeopathic drugs since 1988 and, as shown by the FDA's action on June 16, it allows the FDA to take action when action is required to protect the public