Alzheimer\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
Unsurprisingly, aging Americans\u2014including those seeking to treat or prevent Alzheimer\u2019s\u2014are hungry to preserve their minds and fight off a loss of memories, and as the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) acknowledged in a\u00a0May 2017 report, consumers \u201chave increasingly turned to dietary supplements for help.”<\/p>\n
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\u2019s.<\/p>\n
FDA, FTC Enforcement Actions<\/strong><\/p>\n According to GAO, an independent, nonpartisan agency that works for Congress, two firms addressed FDA\u2019s concerns after receiving \u201cadvisory 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.<\/p>\n In February 2017, FDA issued a warning letter to a company that several of its products were suggested as treatments for diseases, including Alzheimer\u2019s, HIV\/AIDS, leukemia and Parkinson\u2019s, among several others.<\/p>\n Commenting on GAO\u2019s report, the\u00a0Council for Responsible Nutrition\u00a0(CRN)\u2014a Washington-based trade organization representing the dietary supplement industry\u2014acknowledged that such disease claims are fraudulent.<\/p>\n GAO Recommendation<\/strong><\/p>\n 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\u2019s jurisdiction over dietary supplements extends to marketing information used in the sale of a product\u2014including supplements marketed on the internet\u2014consumer groups with whom the GAO conferred \u201cwere either unaware of FDA\u2019s role with regard to internet sales and marketing of dietary supplements, or said that the shared oversight roles between the two agencies was unclear.”<\/p>\n GAO recommended \u201cthe 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\u2019 differing roles in their shared oversight of memory supplement and other dietary supplement marketing on the internet.”<\/p>\n Read full article and learn more about Deceptive Advertising and the FTC here<\/a>.<\/p>\n 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?<\/p>\n Smart business owners around the world are doing it with the help of FTC Guardian.<\/p>\n FTC Guardian is a service that is 100% focused on helping to keep you get and stay FTC compliant and fully protected.\u00a0And 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.<\/a><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"\/images\/button_banner-Big_Data_Report.png\")
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