FTC to Patients: Watch Out for Bogus Cancer Cures!

By Diane Smith
20:46, September 19th 2008
46 votes
Vote this story

Watch out! Several companies are falsely claiming that they are selling you the cure for cancer.

The Federal Trade Commission has already charged five of those companies and reportedly reached settlements with six others.

The FTC, the Food and Drug Administration along with Canadian authorities have launched a campaign that will focus on informing and warning consumers about the false claims for cures to several diseases.

“There is no credible scientific evidence that any of the products marketed by these companies can prevent, cure, or treat cancer of any kind," said Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection.

In some cases, companies even falsely advertised scientific proof to underline the fact that their products actually cure cancer. All the 11 companies involved in the bogus cures scandal will be obliged to notify people who already purchased the bogus cures that there is no scientific proof to support their advertisement claims. The consumers will also be urged to consult with their doctors about the cures.

The list of bogus cures includes essiac teas, laetrile, black salve and mushroom extracts.

“Many of these products are scams,” Parnes said, “and let’s face it, when you’re battling cancer, the last thing you need is a scam.”

The FTC also launched a Web site which focuses on cancer cures - www.ftc.gov/curious. The Web site informs consumers on how to detect and report bogus claims available online. The site also features a list of resources on cancer treatments from a series of governmental agencies.



© 2007 - 2009 - eFluxMedia
dotclear

Other News in

dotclear
Latest videos in Specials
And Finally Hair Do nots
Rocky Mountain News Closing...
Love is in the air balloon
T.I. Says No to Parties and...
Which Jonas Brother Will...

dotclear
Specials You are here: Specials
» Blogs   » Specials   
E-mail To A Friend Print RSS Text size: Decrease font size Increase font size
dotclear
dotclear
dotclear

Interested In This Topic?

News Alert will keep you informed. Find out more.
dotclear
Photos Gallery
dotclear