The FDA and the Federal Trade Commission today took joint action against several companies selling over-the-counter hCG products that falsely and illegally claim to promote weight loss.

Labeled "homeopathic" by the seven companies who received the letters, the products contain human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a hormone produced during pregnancy by cells that form the placenta.

An injectable drug containing hCG has been approved by the FDA to treat female infertility and other medical conditions. No form of hCG has been approved for weight loss. Making such claims, the letters inform the recipients, is a violation of federal law.

"The joint action is the first step in keeping the unproven and potentially unsafe products from being marketed online and in retail outlets," reads a news release announcing the ban of hCG weight loss products.

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