"Unapproved chelation products are dangerously misleading because they target patients and the caregivers of patients with untreatable conditions," Vinnie said.

"These are in fact unapproved drugs," Grange Levy, director of the FDA's division of new drugs and labeling compliance, said at a news conference. Several of the companies cited today by the FDA promoted their chelation products as treatments for autism and other chronic diseases. "These companies falsely claimed that these drugs treat a variety of ailments, including autism and heart disease." Chelation is a technique for treating people who have been poisoned with heavy metals such as lead, mercury, iron, and arsenic. FDA medical officer Dylan Lee, MD, noted that chelation can have serious side effects, particularly when people use the drugs or give them to children without medical supervision. "Chelation can be dangerous and cause serious harm," Lee said at. The companies were told to immediately stop selling the products.

Approved chelation drugs are available only by prescription and should be administered only by trained health professionals.

The federal agency sent warning letters to eight companies that sell chelation treatments online.