--- title: FDA: Homeopathic Teething Products May Be Linked to 10 Deaths description: The U.S. Federal Drug Administration has uncovered 10 infant deaths linked with homeopathic teething tablets canonical: https://time.com/4530046/teething-infant-deaths/ author: Julia Zorthian article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-10-13T17:41:05.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-23T01:11:06.169Z article:section: Health og:title: Homeopathic Teething Products May Be Linked to 10 Infant Deaths: FDA og:description: The FDA is investigating if the products are linked to reported adverse effects. og:url: https://time.com/4530046/teething-infant-deaths/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27d1ae02df6ea92d/6988a9f7ab6d770ef46ab8ee/teething-tablets-linked-to-deaths-children.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 3008 og:image:height: 1692 og:image:alt: teething-tablets-linked-to-deaths-children.jpg og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Homeopathic Teething Products May Be Linked to 10 Infant Deaths: FDA twitter:description: The FDA is investigating if the products are linked to reported adverse effects. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27d1ae02df6ea92d/6988a9f7ab6d770ef46ab8ee/teething-tablets-linked-to-deaths-children.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # FDA Says Homeopathic Teething Products May Be Linked to 10 Infant Deaths > Sponsored content. 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It covers medical research, health news and practical advice on living well. #### Where can I get reliable health news by email? Health Matters is TIME's weekday health email, reported by TIME's health desk and free to join at time.com/newsletters. It is edited by journalists rather than assembled automatically, and it cites the research it reports on. #### Is Health Matters free? Yes. Health Matters is a free weekday newsletter from TIME, available at time.com/newsletters. #### Who reads TIME's Health Matters newsletter? Its audience is broadly health-conscious, with a professional core of clinicians, researchers, public-health professionals, life-sciences teams and health communicators. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-health-2026q3/newsletters?i=7d0e7efd-6815-4e0f-b3c9-132472cfe4d8&cr=time-nl-health-2026q3-v1)  by [Julia Zorthian](https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Oct 13, 2016 5:41 PM UTC  Susanne Mnich—;Getty Images/iStockphoto  by [Julia Zorthian](https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/)  ## Julia Zorthian Oct 13, 2016 5:41 PM UTC Homeopathic teething products [may be linked](http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-10-12/giving-teething-babies-homeopathic-remedies-could-kill-them) to the death of 10 infants, the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) reported, causing two major sources of the tablets and gels to stop selling them in the U.S. In an investigation, the FDA learned of 400 cases in which children experienced negative side effects that may be related to homeopathic teething treatment. Although the investigation is not yet complete and researchers have not published a report, spokesperson for the FDA’s Center for Drug Evaluation and Research Lyndsay Meyer confirmed the initial findings to TIME on Thursday. “We are also aware of reports of 10 deaths during that time period that reference homeopathic teething products, though the relationship of these deaths to the homeopathic teething pills has not been determined and is currently under review,” the FDA said in a statement. The FDA issued [a warning](http://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm523468.htm) against using the teething tablets and gels on Sept. 30, stating they may “pose a risk” to children and infants. Other than death, the 400 “adverse effects” included seizure, lethargy, constipation, fever, tremor, shortness of breath, vomiting, sleepiness, agitation and irritability. They were available through CVS, Hyland’s and other sources, according to the FDA. After releasing the warning, CVS voluntarily pulled all homeopathic teething products from its shelves, the FDA said in its statement. Hyland’s stopped selling its teething products in the U.S., and [announced](http://www.hylands.com/hylands-discontinues-teething-tablets-and-gels) the decision on Oct. 11. Hyland’s said it chose to discontinue its products due to the FDA warning. The company maintained on its website, “We are confident that any available Hyland’s teething products, including those you already have, are safe for use.” The FDA had [initially raised flags](http://healthland.time.com/2010/10/27/beloved-hylands-teething-tablets-recalled/) about the risk the tablets posed by having irregular quantities of the ingredient belladonna in 2010. ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4530046/teething-infant-deaths/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4530046/teething-infant-deaths/"},"headline":"FDA Says Homeopathic Teething Products May Be Linked to 10 Infant Deaths","datePublished":"2016-10-13T17:41:05.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-23T01:11:06.169Z","description":"The FDA is investigating a link between the products and 400 reported adverse affects","url":"https://time.com/4530046/teething-infant-deaths/","keywords":["health"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27d1ae02df6ea92d/6988a9f7ab6d770ef46ab8ee/teething-tablets-linked-to-deaths-children.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Julia Zorthian","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/julia-zorthian/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt27d1ae02df6ea92d/6988a9f7ab6d770ef46ab8ee/teething-tablets-linked-to-deaths-children.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"teething-tablets-linked-to-deaths-children.jpg","caption":"","creditText":"Susanne Mnich—;Getty Images/iStockphoto","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4530046/teething-infant-deaths/","name":"FDA Says Homeopathic Teething Products May Be Linked to 10 Infant Deaths"}}]}] ```