FDA cracks down on ibuprofen gels for pain

If you've been feeling pain from that big workout or from a recent injury, you should think twice before using pain gels containing ibuprofen. At least eight companies have been notified that they are selling illegal pain relief ointments because the medicines have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to an Associated Press report. All of the products mix ibuprofen, the active ingredient in over-the-counter medicines such as Motrin and Advil, with other products to produce a topical ointment for pain relief. Some companies that sell these products claim their ibuprofen-based products are safer than ibuprofen pills because they don't cause stomach ulcers, but the U.S. FDA says this claim has not been substaniated. This is the latest in a series of FDA enforcement actions against companies selling bogus or dangerous products since the new FDA head Margaret Hamburg took the reins. In July, the agency warned makers of dietary supplements containing steroids warning them to pull their products from the market.