Murine has gone homepathic

[Freethinker]

A couple of links to a vendor's page describing them:

Ear Drops:
http://store.darisimall.com/978502.html

Eye Drops:
http://www.drugstore.com/qxp154681_333181_sespider/murine/eye_drops_for_allergy_eye_relief.htm
Apparently they are trying to compete with Similisan's crap.

[Scott Haley]

Their old slogan was "Murine adds nothing but relief." Now they can save time by omitting the last two words.

--Scott

[Freethinker]

They make many products. (Prestige Brands) In the email I sent them, I said "...If you are willing to lie about the efficacy of these products, how do I know what else you will lie about? Maybe Chloraseptic has eye-of-newt and bats' wings in it and is brewed in a cauldron under the new moon. Do you have any employees who attended college or took a chemistry course?...."

[scotth]

I sent in an email as well.

I noted that there are several 'homeopathic' Murine products on the shelves.
I have little doubt that the Prestige Brands staff that made the decision to market homeopathic products knew that homeopathy is a worthless (to the consumer) scam. Yes, other companies have been ripping off consumers with these products for many years. But, I am very dissappointed that Prestige Brands decided to persue fraud based products just because they could. Selling a known worthless product to an eager consumer that doesn't know better is still fraud.

Bottom line, the willingness to market a homeopathic product removes all of the company's credibility with me. Our family will avoid prestige brands completely while they are manufacturing homeopathic products. I will also go out of my way to make sure my friends and acquainances are aware of this ongoing scam.

And please, don't respond with any of the homeo supporter non-sense implying that homeopathy might have something going for it. That will only show me that Prestige Brands is too foolish to ever be trusted again.

[KarlQuigley]

If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center right away.


This would be quite worrying considering whenever I have used eyedrops the liquid can be tasted in my mouth (I hope this is normal..Isn't it? ISN'T IT??)

Anyway, I suppose there is no real danger and no real benefit from the product.

You know what, I feel stupid, I was just going to say "what if you're allergic to the ingredients", then I realised that would be a benefit (according to Homoeopaths)..No hang on..Let me think.."like cures like"..If I have a stinging sensation then putting bee sting in my eye will help..but if I'm allergic to bee sting venom..But I'm not suffering an allergy until I put the eye drop in...errrr...I know, I put more eye drop in...yes, that's it..Or is it..Oh forget it.

Karl Quigely

[KarlQuigley]

Hang on..I have never ever taken an Homoeopathic remedy in my life. So maybe I shouldn't knock it. Ha!

Further to my last message..and thinking about what I said..If I was to buy a bottle of Homoeopathic remedy and it says "take two spoonfuls" and (like cures like) won't the second cancel out the effects of the first?

Or if this never happens and you only ever take one spoonful, won't the second half of the spoonful cancel out the first? And so on.

Are HP remedies available in tablet form?

Is this an old chestnut?

Karl Quigley

[MichelQC]

I sent in an email as well.

Well, let us know if you get an answer, if only for entertainement purposes :)

[Freethinker]

Well, let us know if you get an answer, if only for entertainement purposes :)


Been more than 24 hours for me. I figured I'd have gotten a canned response that had nothing to do with my email by now.

[exarch]

Their old slogan was "Murine adds nothing but relief." Now they can save time by omitting the last two words.

Or change the "R" into a "B" ...

[Araneus]

Or if this never happens and you only ever take one spoonful, won't the second half of the spoonful cancel out the first? And so on.

If you take only one spoonful, wouldn't that be an overdose?

[CaptainManacles]

Aren't they breaking a law or regulation or something? Doesn't the FDA generally frown on products saying they can cure diseases when they can't? Don't these things normally just imply what they do? Besides the comments about "contacting a poison control center". Aren't there laws against advising people to make fraudulent calls to an emergency service, such as calling poison control when you accidently swallowed water?

It's not even listed in their "alternative therapy" section.

[gfunkusarelius]

homeopathy bothers me a ton (as opposed to a lot of things that are very bad, like psychics, but i typically dont think are too physically dangerous) because i think a lot of people trust what is on the shleves of a drug store is an actual drug. there is someone close to me who has cataracts and i hear these commercials on the radio all the time for homeopathic cataract treatment and it all hits home...cataracts can be treated (my dad had them in both eyes) but i am assuming someone who took homeopathic treatment long enough could risk letting it progress too far and risk blindness...but i know this person close to me doesnt like going to the doctor and would opt for about anything before surgery, so its just scary.

i am not big on government regulations, but i think this is a case where the bad science is too dangerous to allow...

[Abdul Alhazred]

Did Murine really change the formula?

Or is "homeopathic" just a marketing ploy?

[scotth]

Did Murine really change the formula?

Or is "homeopathic" just a marketing ploy?

The ingredient list for those items list their homeopathic ingredients in the homeopathic style of designation (nX where this means a dilution of 10^n to 1). That doesn't conclusively answer your question as yes, but it certainly suggests such.

and btw.... I've received no response from my contact with Prestige Brands.

[Freethinker]

One week ago last night I sent Prestige Brands my email. Still no response.

[jimtron]

Aren't they breaking a law or regulation or something? Doesn't the FDA generally frown on products saying they can cure diseases when they can't? Don't these things normally just imply what they do? Besides the comments about "contacting a poison control center". Aren't there laws against advising people to make fraudulent calls to an emergency service, such as calling poison control when you accidently swallowed water?

It's not even listed in their "alternative therapy" section.

Not anymore: (http://www.washingtonmonthly.com/features/2001/0109.mencimer2.html)

Since DSHEA became law, substances as varied as paint stripper, bat ****, toad venom, and lamb placenta have all been imported from overseas, bottled up---often by people with no scientific or health backgrounds---and marketed as dietary supplements to unsuspecting American consumers. Many supplements have been tainted with salmonella, arsenic, lead, pesticides, unapproved foreign prescription drugs, as well as garden-variety carcinogens. And despite their New-Age health aura, a significant portion of these "natural supplements" are stimulants, depressants, and other mood-enhancers that some medical experts believe would be classified as drugs if they were synthetic. A surprising number of these products are addictive.
Thanks to Hatch, the U.S. now has standards as low as those in many Third World countries for the sale of many products with serious, pharmacological effects. The results have been deadly. Between 1993 and 1998, the FDA linked at least 184 deaths to dietary supplements, which are now suspected of contributing to the sudden deaths of three football players in August.

[CaptainManacles]

Not anymore

****.

Another item to add to the list of "things that have happened, that if you had told me they would happen I would have called you a liar and maybe punched you"

I'll have to add "in the future, you can buy prescription drugs without a prescription as long as they are from a 3rd world country and you label them as "vitamins'. It, of course, kills people who just wanted some extra zinc in their diet, but this doesn't bother very many people."

[Mick Houlahan]

Sent 'em an email. Here's the response:

Thank you for taking the time to contact us regarding your experience with
Murine for Allergy Eye Relief
Homeopathic Drops.

We strive to distribute and manufacture products that will give you, the
consumer, the greatest amount of
satisfaction possible. Your feedback allows us to continue to distribute the
high quality product upon which we
have built our reputation. Your comments have been forwarded to our Marketing
Department.

Should you have any questions or require further assistance, do not hesitate to
contact us again.

Regards,
Consumer Affairs


I'm sure once the Marketing Department realizes their mistake, the product will immediately be pulled from the shelves.

Victory!

[Freethinker]

Your feedback allows us to continue to distribute the high quality product upon which we
have built our reputation.

I don't think I'd want a reputation based on homeopathic eye-drops.

As a contact wearer, I've found that simply rinsing my eyes with saline is a big help, even when not wearing contacts. Claiming you've got 10X dilutions of other things in there is pure balogna.