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In an open letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), several organizations have objected to the FTC requiring randomized clinical trials (RCTs) as supporting evidence for all health-related claims. The group contends that the FTC policy protects pharmaceuticals, not consumers. The initial group includes Alliance for Natural Health USA, a consumer advocacy group, along with several companies from the dietary supplement industry: Alkemist Labs, NOW Foods, Precision Patient Outcomes, RidgeCrest Herbals, and Xlear. “People need to understand the costs and effects of this FTC policy”, said Matt Warnock, owner of RidgeCrest Herbals. “The FTC is applying the FDA drug approval standard to foods and supplements. It drives costs up for consumers, and protects drug companies.”
The letter can be seen at FreeMyHealth.org, a new website created to emphasize that these concerns are bigger than any one company or organization. The group is asking others to sign the letter as a show of solidarity and to make their voices heard. “We hope to gather signatures from every state in the union, and have hundreds of industry members speaking up about this,” Warnock said. “We’ll be presenting our concerns to Congress at the NPA Fly-In Day on May 22, 2024. We hope to see a big turn-out.”
The action comes after FTC sent a warning letter to 670 companies threatening fines of over $50,000 per day for unsubstantiated claims. "The letter didn't cite any alleged noncompliant claims," said Warnock, "so the unsubstantiated warning letter was the real threat to consumers. FTC's demands impose pointless costs on manufacturers, which consumers ultimately have to pay."
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