FTC Warns Of Cancer "Snake Oils"

Five Companies Charged With Making False, Misleading Claims For Cancer Cures

(AP)  The Federal Trade Commission charged five companies with making false and misleading claims for cancer cures and said Thursday that it has reached settlements with six others.

"As long as products have been sold there has been somebody out there selling snake oil to consumers," said Lydia Parnes, director of the FTC's bureau of consumer protection.

She said the agency, along with the Food and Drug Administration and Canadian authorities, is launching a consumer education campaign warning about bogus claims for cures.

"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 Parnes.

The products the companies marketed include essiac teas and other herbal mixtures, laetrile, black salve - a corrosive ointment - and mushroom extracts.

Douglas Stearn of the FDA said his agency is concerned that people may forego effective cancer treatments when choosing these products. In addition, he said, some of these unproven products may have dangerous interactions with other drugs.

"We would urge folks to talk to their doctors," said Stern.

Parnes said more than 100 warning letters were sent out and many advertisers dropped or changed their claims.

Of the complaints resolved by settlements, she said companies paid restitution ranging from $9,000 to $250,000.

The remaining five complaints of false and deceptive advertising will go before administrative law judges, she said.

Those cases are Omega Supply, San Diego, Calif.; Native Essence Herb Company, El Prado, N.M.; Daniel Chapter One, Portsmouth, R.I.; Gemtronics, Inc., Franklin, N.C., and Herbs for Cancer, Surprise, Ariz.

[rational_1]

Orthodox cancer treatments aren''''t any better. Only some 1 to 2 percent of patients ever benefit from conventional medical treatments,while suffering horrendous side effects, with such benefits being probably due only to chance.
Posted by oigen at 02:37 PM : Sep 18, 2008

This is nonsense. Cancer survival rates these days are generally considerably higher than they were in decades past (say the 1960s). For example, the 5-year survival rate for Hodgkin Lymphoma was about 40% in 1960 and it''s in the mid 80s today. See
http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/all_page.adp?item_id=8312

In addition 5-year leukemia survival rates have tripled over the last couple of decades.

Despite 1 man in 6 being diagnosed with prostate cancer only 1 in 35 will actually die of it.

Some cancer survival rates have not gone up markedly (eg. pancreatic) but to say that standard cancer treatment don''t work is idiotic and unsupported by the facts.

[salty1954]

The biggest lie of all is the misinformation from the profit driven medical industrial complex.

[drinuk]

So Tell Us, LYDIA PARNES, just what meaningful and HONEST research has been carried out on these so called Snake Oils, by whom and under whose authority.
It''s for sure Big Pharma are not telling the truth and I doubt very much whether their pals at the FDA will tell us the truth either.

The reason you want them banned is because they threaten your Cash Cow, the Cancer Industry. Natural cures costing pennies compared to a shot of Mustard Gas (Chemo) costing $2000,00. May you all rot in Hades !

[oigen]

Orthodox cancer treatments aren''t any better. Only some 1 to 2 percent of patients ever benefit from conventional medical treatments,while suffering horrendous side effects, with such benefits being probably due only to chance.
See..http://tinyurl.com/Cytotoxic-Chemotherapy

[drivelphobe]

Snake oil is part of our history. We love people like Ron Popeil of Ronco, and Kevin Trudeau with all his scams. Let the buyer beware.