The FDA said some of the products falsely claim to have received FDA approval, while some claim to be more effective than conventional medicine. The products are sold as Tetrasil, Genisil, Aviralex, OXi-MED, Imulux, Beta-mannan, Micronutrient, Qina, and SlicPlus.

Officials said the products claim to prevent or treat a variety of STDs, including herpes, chlamydia, human papilloma virus, cervical dysplasia, and HIV/AIDS. The FDA said it considers the products to be unapproved new drugs marketed in violation of the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. Officials said the drugs are also misbranded since they lack proper directions for use by consumers and/or make false and misleading claims.

The FDA identified the companies as Aviralex International of San Francisco; Aidance Skincare & Topical Solutions LLC. of Harmony, R.I.; health-science-report.com; NeumaLife of Boys Town, Neb.; IMULUX LLC. of Fort Smith, Ark.; the Saferex Laboratories International Corp. of Sachse, Texas; and Waldon Research of Christchurch, New Zealand.