GAO Reviews Dietary Supplement Claims as Aging Population Struggles With Memory Loss

GAO Reviews Dietary Supplement Claims as Aging Population Struggles With Memory Loss

By Josh Long

Alzheimer’s disease is the most common form of dementia among older adults, with experts suggesting the ailment plagues more than 5 million Americans, according to the National Institutes of Health. As Baby Boomers survive past their 70s, 80s and beyond, old age brings with it a trifecta of complications: an increased risk of loss of memory, dementia and ultimately death.

Unsurprisingly, aging Americans—including those seeking to treat or prevent Alzheimer’s—are hungry to preserve their minds and fight off a loss of memories, and as the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) acknowledged in a May 2017 report, consumers “have increasingly turned to dietary supplements for help.”

However, some marketers touting memory supplements are exploiting a vulnerable demographic, misrepresenting product benefits to the brain and even promising treatment for a disease like Alzheimer’s.

FDA, FTC Enforcement Actions

According to GAO, an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress, two firms addressed FDA’s concerns after receiving “advisory letters” from the agency. Online advisory letters are a relatively new tool used by FDA to fight the online promotion of dietary supplements that purport to treat a disease. The letters provide notice of violations of the law, and they are subject to a shorter internal review process than warning letters.

In February 2017, FDA issued a warning letter to a company that several of its products were suggested as treatments for diseases, including Alzheimer’s, HIV/AIDS, leukemia and Parkinson’s, among several others.

Commenting on GAO’s report, the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN)—a Washington-based trade organization representing the dietary supplement industry—acknowledged that such disease claims are fraudulent.

GAO Recommendation

Consumers who are the targets of deceptive advertising and marketing practices may not fully appreciate or understand the roles played by FDA and FTC. For example, while FDA’s jurisdiction over dietary supplements extends to marketing information used in the sale of a product—including supplements marketed on the internet—consumer groups with whom the GAO conferred “were either unaware of FDA’s role with regard to internet sales and marketing of dietary supplements, or said that the shared oversight roles between the two agencies was unclear.”

GAO recommended “the secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services [HHS] and the chair of the FTC develop and provide additional guidance to consumers delineating the agencies’ differing roles in their shared oversight of memory supplement and other dietary supplement marketing on the internet.”

Read full article and learn more about Deceptive Advertising and the FTC here.

Here’s How To Make Sure You, Your Business & Website Is FTC Compliant

By now it should be clear how important it is for you to be FTC compliant. But how can you do that without spending $7,500-$8,000 or more on Internet Attorneys?

Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.

FTC Guardian is a service that is 100% focused on helping to keep you get and stay FTC compliant and fully protected. And right now, we are offering a free training to give you the knowledge, information, and guidance that you need to stay out of trouble with the Federal Trade Commission.

Free Compliance Workshop: Join Chip Cooper, Esq., the #1 FTC Compliance trainer in the World, for a one-of-kind, completely free online compliance workshop. Workshops fill up quickly, so register now.

Here are some of the things you’ll discover on the training:

  • Real-Life Examples of People Who Didn’t Think They Were At Risk, But Who Got Nailed By The FTC, And Why It Could Happen To You, Too
  • The 3 Enormous Powers The FTC Has That Can Change Your Life – And Your Family’s Life – Forever!
  • How to Avoid FTC Claims When Collecting Leads With Optin Forms
  • 3 Privacy Policy Mistakes Every Digital Marketer Is Making, And Why You’re In The FTC Crosshairs.
  • And Much More…

Remember: legal protection is a massively important part of your business, and it’s one you cannot afford to ignore any longer.

Go here to register for our next FREE training and make your business is FTC compliant today!

Disclaimer:  This article is provided for informational purposes only. It’s not legal advice, and no attorney-client relationship is created. Neither the author nor FTC Guardian, Inc. is endorsed by the Federal Trade Commission.

Contact us!

If you have any questions feel free to contact us!

Malcare WordPress Security