Print

[Omegafant]

[*quote*]
Consumer Health Digest #17-47
December 24, 2017

Consumer Health Digest is a free weekly e-mail newsletter edited by Stephen Barrett, M.D
http://www.quackwatch.org/10Bio/bio.html
., with help from William M. London, Ed.D., M.P.H
http://www.calstatela.edu/faculty/william-m-london
It summarizes scientific reports; legislative developments; enforcement actions; news reports; Web site evaluations; recommended and nonrecommended books; and other information relevant to consumer protection and consumer decision-making. Its primary focus is on health, but occasionally it includes non-health scams and practical tips.

###
FDA proposes new homeopathic product regulations

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has proposed what it calls "risk-based guidelines" that give enforcement priority to homeopathic products with the greatest potential risk to patients.
[FDA proposes new, risk-based enforcement priorities to protect consumers from potentially harmful, unproven homeopathic drugs
https://www.fda.gov/NewsEvents/Newsroom/PressAnnouncements/ucm589243.htm
FDA news release, Dec 18, 2017]

The FDA intends to focus on:

products with reported safety concerns
products that contain or claim to contain ingredients associated with potentially significant safety concerns
products for routes of administration other than oral and topical
products intended for the prevention or treatment of serious and/or life-threatening diseases and conditions
products for vulnerable populations
products that do not meet legally required standards of quality, strength, or purity.

Although homeopathic products have no proven effectiveness and their theoretical basis is senseless, a complete ban is not politically feasible.
[Barrett S. Homeopathy: The ultimate fake
http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/homeo.html
Quackwatch, Aug 25, 2016]

However, the FDA can easily limit their marketing to single-ingredient products that strictly comply with the Homeopathic Pharmacopeia. No health claims should be permitted for homeopathic products unless they are approved through the FDA's standard drug approval process. The only statements that should be permitted in labeling or advertising are the chemical name, the dilution, and that fact that the product is homeopathic. Products consistent with the Pharmacopeia could still be marketed, so consumers who want homeopathic products could still obtain them. But unapproved health claims—including implied claims in product names—should be banned. If you agree with this suggestion, please read Dr. Barrett’s full explanation
https://www.homeowatch.org/reg/fda_hearing_2015/comment.html
and post a comment in your own words to the FDA comments page
https://disq.us/url?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.regulations.gov%2Fdocument%3FD%3DFDA-2017-D-6580-0002%3AxUC9I4lr0UX4MtftaOhLryNKi1o&cuid=3540134


###

Multilevel marketing shredded by TINA

An investigation by Truth in Advertising has concluded that nearly all of the Direct Selling Association's member companies are making unsubstantiated income claims to attract distributors. Most of the companies use a multilevel marketing (MLM) compensation plan in which independent distributors sell products, recruit more distributors, and theoretically profit from both their own sales and those of the people they recruit.
[Multilevel marketing: The job that doesn't pay
https://www.truthinadvertising.org/mlm-income-claims-investigation/
TINA.org, Dec 18, 2017]

TINA.org has posted more than 3,000 examples
http://email.robly.com/mpss/c/0wA/_xpUAA/t.2dg/Hl0wohc9T-yNQgAoFJnNCg/h6/R-2BMo2KV9CIeK4nLX46m3AKmHefLTtLiW9YEOjuZTFzIq4qiGsZJ7zSngdDR8TXye4k0c-2BM4z4r9xyamT-2FZPOkg-3D-3D
of claims that range from assurances of achieving financial freedom, to making unlimited income, to being able to quit your job and stay home with your children.

Use of such claims is widespread despite the fact that the vast majority of distributors will never achieve financial independence with an MLM business.​​​​​​​ At a DSA policy conference last year, FTC Chairwoman Edith Ramirez warned that MLM income misrepresentations have been widespread
http://www.mlmwatch.org/06FTC/ramirez_dsa_speech_10-25-16.pdf
, that companies "must take reasonable steps to monitor and ensure that participants are not misleading others about the business opportunity," and that the FTC will issue further guidance on how this can be done. In 2006, the FTC proposed a Business Opportunity Rule that could have forced companies to provide non-misleading information to prospective distributors. The proposal would have required all sellers of business opportunities to provide enough information to enable prospective buyers to make an informed decision about their probability of earning money
https://www.mlmwatch.org/06FTC/business_opportunity/comments.html

The most important provisions pertained to MLM companies.However, in 2008, the agency exempted MLMs from the proposed rule and said it would continue case-by-case enforcement. Meaningful disclosure, which could deter millions of people each year from wasting their time and money by signing up as distributors, would cost very little. Unfortunately, FTC has neither the willingness nor the resources to attack misleading claims by hundreds of companies on a case-by-case basis.

###

All issues of the Digest are accessible through
http://www.ncahf.org/digest17/index.html
To help prevent the newsletter from being filtered out as spam, please add
bounces-chd@lists.quackwatch.org
to your address book or other "whitelist." To unsubscribe, log into your chd account or send a blank message to
chd-unsubscribe@lists.quackwatch.org
This must be sent from the address you used to subscribe. To subscribe from a new address, send a blank message to
chd-subscribe@lists.quackwatch.org

=================================

Stephen Barrett, M.D.
Consumer Advocate
287 Fearrington Post
Pittsboro, NC 27312

Telephone: (919) 533-6009

http://www.quackwatch.org (health fraud and quackery)
[*/quote*]