Companies Making False Coronavirus Claims & Your Rights

Companies have been caught making false claims amid the coronavirus pandemic. The FTC is cracking down on such claims as the FDA has not publicly approved, cleared, or authorized any consumer product for preventing or curing the virus. If any organization has targeted you with such claims as “preventing” or “curing” COVID-19, you may be entitled to compensation.

The FTC and FDA are warning companies about Coronavirus-related products. The FTC requires companies prove and claims companies make for distribution approval in the United States. Meanwhile, the FDA must approve, clear and authorize products for consumption.

Consumer Protection from Predatory Profiteers

Consumer manipulation, unfortunately, skyrockets whenever public health concerns are at the forefront. Putting profit before honesty, some companies offer products or services with unfounded promise of prevention and/or treatment.

Continuing its efforts to protect consumers from scams and deceptive pitches related to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the FTC is sending warning letters to offending companies. These letters effectively warn companies they should take immediate action to ensure they are not marketing products intended to diagnose, mitigate, prevent, treat or cure COVID-19

The FTC notices remind businesses it’s illegal “to advertise a product can prevent, treat, or cure human disease unless you possess competent and reliable scientific evidence, including, when appropriate, well-controlled human clinical studies, substantiating that the claims are true at the time they are made.” And they “must immediately cease making all such claims.”

The Offending Parties

Companies having received FDA/FTC notices are numerous widely-varied. The most recognizable may be Germ-X, facing a class-action suit for allegedly making false claims its hand sanitizer can protect against coronavirus. The class action argues consumers purchased large quantities of hand sanitizer based on false claims by Germ-X.

Additional organizations include:

• Jim Bakker and The Jim Bakker Show for publicly supporting false claims made by Silver Sol and Silver Lozenges.
• Herbal Amy, Inc for claims its “Coronavirus Protocol…formulations are preventative as well as specific for acute infections.”
• N-Ergetics for claims its “Colloidal Silver is still the only known antiviral supplement to kill all seven… Human Coronaviruses.”
• Vital Silver for claims on Facebook “it’s… widely acknowledged in both science and the medical industry that ionic silver kills coronaviruses…”
• Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd. for advertising “Essential Oils To Protect Against Coronavirus [offering] the most powerful anti-virus essential oils to provide defence against coronavirus.”
• GuruNanda, LLC for claiming its frankincense product is a way to “decrease your chances of becoming infected.”
• Vivify Holistic Clinic for claiming on Facebook the organization has “done extensive research on coronaviruses . . . and has treated them very successfully using his protocols.”

Have You Been Victimized?

The FDA is advising you “not to purchase or use COVID-19 related products offered for sale that have not been approved, cleared, or authorized by FDA.”  But if you’ve made purchases based on any claims similar to those listed above, you may be entitled to a settlement. You may be also entitled to partake in class action lawsuits.

When people ignore their civil obligation, or blatantly defy it with the intent to harm, they are responsible for their actions. So when it comes to understanding the various ways in which personal injury or negligence has impacted your daily life, Joe Nicastro, esq is your source.

Remaining opening and fully functional during these trying times, Joe helps you determine your best possible route in pursuing any monetary damages you deserve.

Learn more here.