Seller beware: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is cracking down on false claims made about the coronavirus.
The agency recently issued warning letters, along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), to seven companies for selling products that claimed to cure, prevent or treat the coronavirus.
One of those companies was Herbal Amy LLC, a company that sells cannabidiol (CBD) and other herbal products online. While the company didn’t market any CBD products as a treatment for coronavirus, she was marketing a package of other herbal products as a “coronavirus protocol.”
The company has since removed its claim that “a number of the herbs are strongly antiviral for corona viruses.”
“There already is a high level of anxiety over the potential spread of coronavirus,” says FTC Chairman Joe Simons in a news release. “What we don’t need in this situation are companies preying on consumers by promoting products with fraudulent prevention and treatment claims. These warning letters are just the first step. We’re prepared to take enforcement actions against companies that continue to market this type of scam.”
The FDA says it has an “aggressive surveillance program that routinely monitors online sources for health fraud products, especially during a significant public health issue such as this one.”
The two agencies say they will continue to monitor social media, online marketplaces and incoming complaints regarding products making coronavirus claims. They say their task force has also reached out to major retailers for help in monitoring the marketplace, and together, they’ve already removed more than three dozen related listings.
Other companies that received warning letters include Vital Silver, Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd., Xephyr, LLC doing business as N-Ergetics, GuruNanda, LLC, Vivify Holistic Clinic and The Jim Bakker Show. Each company had 48 hours to respond.
