FDA clamps down on businesses selling teas, oils and tinctures for COVID-19

10 Mar 2020 --- The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) have warned seven companies for selling products claiming to prevent or treat COVID-19. The offerings include teas, essential oils, tinctures and colloidal silver, with the companies now subject to legal action, including but not limited to seizure or injunction. The FDA is concerned that products that claim to cure, treat or prevent serious diseases like COVID-19 may cause consumers to delay or stop appropriate medical treatment, leading to serious and life-threatening harm.

“There is already a high level of anxiety over the potential spread of coronavirus,” says FTC Chairman Joe Simons. “What we don’t need in this situation are companies preying on consumers by promoting products with fraudulent prevention and treatment claims. We’re prepared to take enforcement actions against companies that continue to market this type of scam.”

One of the warned companies is The Jim Bakker Show, which was promoting Silver Solution dietary supplement products. Last week, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) had asked the FDA to take immediate enforcement action against the television evangelist.

“Quacks who market dietary supplements love nothing more than a crisis,” notes CSPI President Dr. Peter Lurie. “For someone like Jim Bakker, a crisis is just an opportunity to market worthless pills and potions as miraculous cures. Consumers should be very glad at the speed and seriousness with which the FDA, the FTC, and the New York Attorney General’s office dealt with Jim Bakker and his Silver Solution.”

Other implicated businesses are Vital Silver, Quinessence Aromatherapy, Xephyr (doing business as N-Ergetics), GuruNanda, Vivify Holistic Clinic and Herbal Amy. The FDA and FTC requested companies respond in 48 hours describing the specific steps they have taken to correct the violations. The organizations will then continue to monitor social media, online marketplaces and incoming complaints to ensure that the companies do not continue to sell fraudulent products under a different company name or on another website.

Additionally, an FDA cross-agency task force has been established and dedicated to closely monitor fraudulent products related to COVID-19. The task force has already reached out to major retailers to ask for their help in monitoring their online marketplaces for fraudulent products claiming to combat coronavirus and other pathogens. It has also worked with major retailers and online marketplaces to remove dozens of listings of fraudulent COVID-19 products. Several have already agreed to monitor their marketplaces for COVID-19 claims.

False COVID-19 products could come in forms including dietary supplements and other foods.The FDA notes that COVID-19 products could come in forms including dietary supplements and other foods, as well as products purporting to be drugs, medical devices or vaccines. Health care professionals and consumers are encouraged to report adverse events or quality problems experienced with the use of COVID-19 products to the FDA’s MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program.

“The FDA considers the sale and promotion of fraudulent COVID-19 products to be a threat to public health. We have an aggressive surveillance program that routinely monitors online sources for health fraud products, especially during a significant public health issue such as this one,” states FDA Commissioner Stephen Hahn. 

This week, the FTC has also come down on Teami, a marketer of teas and skincare products, for “misleading customers.” According to the FTC, Teami claimed that its 30 Day Detox Pack would help consumers lose weight and that its other teas fight cancer, clear clogged arteries, decrease migraines, prevent the flu and treat colds. The company will now have to pay US$1 million.  

Meanwhile, the onset of COVID-19 has led to the spread of other speculated health products, including the supposed curative properties of oregano and bleach, among others. Organizations such as the Natural Products Association (NPA) have been calling on governments to crack down on scammers and the misinformation deluge. 

However, Pharmalinea Chairman and Founder, Blaž Gorjup, has told NutritionInsight that COVID-19 may well lead to growth in global consumer demand for immunity-boosting supplements. Although new product launches are on hold due to the severity of the COVID-19 situation, the market is still seeing a boost in sales. 

Edited by Katherine Durrell