21 Warning Letters Sent by the FTC to Companies Making Unsubstantiated Claims About Coronavirus Prevention & Treatment
The FTC has recently sent warning letters to another 21 companies allegedly claiming that their products can prevent or cure COVID-19. These claims are unsubstantiated and a mere gimmick to promote the sales of their products and services. These companies are trying to sell everything from vitamins and IV solutions, to homeopathy, ozone and even stem cell treatments.
- Abundant Life Wellness Center. The Florida business has said its Zyto biofeedback software system can “scan individuals for a customized homeopathic dilution for the Coronavirus.” According to the company, “This means that if you are exposed to the virus and you are taking your customized homeopathic dilution, you could present with less or no symptoms than if you were not taking it.”
- RowenSu Clinic. The warning letter to the California clinic cites statements that have appeared on its website touting ozone therapy – which it markets – as a “Cost Effective Treatment for Coronavirus.” In addition, the company has claimed that coronavirus may “have a soft underbelly” that is “easily and safely exploitable with ozone-related services.”
- Personalhealthshop.com. The company has sold elderberry products, including gummies, by making claims like this on its website: “Elderberry Vs Corona Virus. Elderberry is an antiviral. It prevents the virus from replicating in the body, so you want to take it early and often if you start feeling symptoms. Once a day for prevention, four times if you start feeling sick . . . most importantly [elderberry] is high in zinc . . . ZINC + CHLOROQUINE has shown positive results against Covid19 . . . .”
- Blessed Maine Herb Farm. On a section of its website titled “Preventive Care – Coronavirus,” the Athens, Maine, business cites a list of herbs to “protect against viral infection.” The company also advises consumers to “wear a protective amulet” of “garlic and prayers hung around your neck” and to “keep a small magic bag of protective herbs or stones in your pocket.”
- Fast Relief Acupuncture. According to the warning letter, the New Jersey business has represented that “The use of acupuncture and herbal medication is vitally important when treating the Coronavirus. Not only can patients recover from the virus by receiving these treatments, patients can also use acupuncture and herbal medication to prevent the contraction of COVID-19.”
- Merge Medical Center. The South Carolina company has claimed on its website and in social media that consumers’ “Recipe for Survival” from coronavirus includes “IV high dose Vitamin C treatment,” an intravenous “Sepsis Treatment” protocol, and intravenous silver. The warning letter also cites the company’s claim that “Nano Silver Hydrosol is used to dramatically reduce the activity of the Coronavirus” by “suffocating it so it cannot do damage in the body.”
Be aware and do not get swayed by these unreliable and scientifically unproven supplements and treatments. Under the FTC Act, it’s illegal to advertise that a product can prevent, treat, or cure a disease unless the company has competent and reliable scientific evidence to support what they say – which may mean well-controlled human clinical studies. No such study is known to exist for the products and services offered by these 21 companies. Read the entire article here.