Businesses across the US have been selling fraudulent drugs for COVID-19

Several businesses, across the US, have sold unapproved drugs for COVID-19 treatment and prevention, which violates the law and presents a high risk to the well-being of a patient.

As a result of this, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have issued warning letters to Quinessence Aromatherapy Ltd, Vital Silver, Xephyr, GuruNanda, Herbal Amy LLC, Vivify Holistic Clinic and The Jim Bakker Show, in aid to protect the country.

The FTC and FDA have demanded in the warning letter that the companies detail the steps they took to resolve the fraud they committed, within 48 hours.

Currently, COVID-19 treatments are in the early stages of development and haven’t been fully tested; therefore, there’s no medications or vaccines that can prevent or treat the virus as of yet.

In response to this, the FTC and FDA will examine complaints, social media and online marketplaces in aid to ensure that businesses do not continue to sell fraudulent products under various company names. Also, an FDA cross-agency task force has been assigned to observe for deceitful products concerning COVID-19. The task force has been working with online marketplaces and retailers to eliminate more than thirty listings of COVID-19 fake products.

Stephen M. Hahn, MD, FDA Commissioner, stated: “The FDA considers the sale and promotion of fraudulent COVID-19 products to be a threat to the public health. We have an aggressive surveillance program that routinely monitors online sources for health fraud products, especially during a significant public health issue such as this one. We understand consumers are concerned about the spread of COVID-19 and urge them to talk to their health care providers as well as follow advice from other federal agencies about how to prevent the spread of this illness. We will continue to aggressively pursue those that place the public health at risk and hold bad actors accountable.”

Joe Sims, FTC Chairman, stated: “There already is a high level of anxiety over the potential spread of coronavirus. 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.”