Feds Begin To Crack Down On
Internet Supplement Companies

WASHINGTON (Reuters Health) - The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Thursday announced a crackdown on six dietary supplement companies that the agency alleges have been making false and potentially dangerous claims about products on the Internet.

Officials said that they were ordering the companies to restrict their advertising and in some cases refund money to consumers who had purchased dietary supplement products based on the false claims. Several products fell under agency scrutiny for claiming an ability to cure cancer, HIV and a host of other diseases.

``Consumers should avoid Web sites that promise quick and dramatic cures for serious diseases. These claims are the hallmark of health fraud in both the real world and in cyberspace,'' FTC commissioner Timothy J. Muris said at a press conference.

The six cases announced Thursday represent the most egregious of more than 1,200 questionable Web sites found by FTC staff during only a couple hours of searching, officials said.

``There are certainly going to be more investigations,'' Muris told Reuters Health.

FTC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) officials said that they had not received any reports of consumers injured by any of the products involved in Thursday's action.

One of the companies cited, Oasis Wellness Network of Broomfield, Colorado, came under scrutiny for claiming that a product containing the hormone DHEA can fight aging. The company was ordered to pay $150,000 in fines to the FTC.

Company president Stephen Cherniske said in an interview that Oasis was in the process of making the payment to the FTC and that his company ``went into compliance instantly'' to address the agency's complaints.

Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association, blamed the questionable claims on ``unscrupulous dealers'' and said that his organization applauds the action by the FTC.

``I see this as good news for responsible companies. These products are a problem for all of us, and we'd like to see them gone,'' McGuffin said in an interview.

Regulators were particularly concerned that two companies claimed that St. John's wort, a popular herbal remedy often used for minor depression, was also effective in treating HIV and AIDS. The federal government issued alerts last month warning consumers and physicians that the herb may in fact reduce the effectiveness of protease inhibitors used to treat HIV.

FDA-approved antiretroviral medications are not effective for all AIDS patients. So many patients are tempted to mix their drugs with herbal products including St. John's wort, said Walter H. Carr, an official with the National AIDS Health Fraud Task Force Network.

``Sometimes it's the most educated who are just that desperate,'' Carr noted.

Two companies who allegedly made HIV/AIDS claims for St. John's wort--Panda Herbal International, Inc. and ForMor, Inc.--were ordered to refund money to consumers who had purchased the products. Neither company returned telephone requests for interviews.

``It's very likely that there are people out there who are getting hurt,'' said J. Howard Beales III, the director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

Muris advised consumers who use the Internet to shop for herbal products to cross-reference any claims with reliable information sources from FTC and the National Institutes of Health. Consumers should also consult a doctor before taking any new supplements, especially if they are already on medications, he said.

Reference Source 89

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