FTC Proposed Order Stops Marketers from Continuing to Promote Supplements Using Baseless Health Claims

Press Release
March 19, 2022

 

Two Texas-based companies and their owner are banned from advertising or selling dietary supplements, and from making claims that their products treat, cure, or reduce the risk of disease, under a proposed settlement with the Federal Trade Commission.

The action announced today stems from an administrative complaint the FTC filed in November 2020 against Health Research Laboratories, LLC, Whole Body Supplements, LLC, and their owner and officer Kramer Duhon. The complaint alleged the respondents made unsubstantiated claims that their supplements — The Ultimate Heart Formula (UHF), BG18, and Black Garlic Botanicals — prevent or treat cardiovascular and other diseases, and that their supplement Neupathic cures, mitigates, or treats diabetic neuropathy.

“This order banning the respondents from the supplement industry should put an end to their long history of making baseless claims that their products can treat various diseases,” said Samuel Levine, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “People with serious health concerns should rely on their health professionals, not advertisements.”

The 2020 administrative complaint was filed after a federal district court judge denied an FTC motion to hold the defendants in contempt for violating an earlier settlement order with the FTC and the State of Maine.

The Commission vote to accept the proposed consent agreement was 4-0. The FTC will publish a description of the consent agreement package in the Federal Register soon. The agreement will be subject to public comment for 30 days, after which the Commission will decide whether to make the proposed consent order final. Instructions for filing comments appear in the published notice. Comments must be received 30 days after publication in the Federal Register. Once processed, comments will be posted on Regulations.gov.

NOTE: When the Commission issues a consent order on a final basis, it carries the force of law with respect to future actions. Each violation of such an order may result in a civil penalty of up to $46,517.

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.

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Bill Fold
Bill Fold(@bill-fold)
2 years ago

It’s about damn time!!! I hope they ban ones like “Relief Factor” and “Balance of Nature” as well. I’m sure there are tens of thousands of people that are sick of seeing those BS commercials every 5 minutes on TV!!

Ben Martin
Ben Martin(@ben-martin)
2 years ago
Reply to  Bill Fold

Please get rid of your TV. You will then quit exposing yourself to baseless claims of all kinds.

It is not baseless to say that Vitamin C cures scurvy. But it is illegal for manufacturers of Vitamin C to advertise it as a treatment for anything. Thank God we have government keeping us safe from baseless claims.

Bill Fold
Bill Fold(@bill-fold)
2 years ago
Reply to  Ben Martin

Government don’t keep us safe from anything. People who believe that are part of the problem. And if you thank God for government He thinks you’re part of the problem.

Ben Martin
Ben Martin(@ben-martin)
2 years ago
Reply to  Bill Fold

“The welfare of humanity is always the alibi of tyrants” Albert Camus

Richard Norman Kurpiers
Richard Norman Kurpiers (@guest_64280)
2 years ago
Reply to  Ben Martin

But it is illegal for manufacturers of Vitamin C to advertise it as a treatment for anything.

Not quite accurate. Manufacturers can tout Vitamin C as a treatment for scurvy so long as they say how widespread scurvy is in the U.S. You know, like passing laws to curb voter fraud so long as they can prove that voter fraud exists. Or passing anti CRT laws so long as they can prove that Critical Race Theory is actually being taught in schools.

john whitlow
john whitlow (@guest_64282)
2 years ago

Kind like trying to get everyone to take gene therapy disguised as a vaccine.
For a virus that has a 99.8% survival rate.

Richard Norman Kurpiers
Richard Norman Kurpiers (@guest_64285)
2 years ago
Reply to  john whitlow

I think you mean the 2nd leading cause of death in the U.S. for 2021. Or maybe nearly 1 million deaths over a 2 year period. Also, as a point of reference, gene therapy refers to therapeutic restructuring of nucleic acids (DNA and RNA). mRNA vaccines do neither.