PSA #1 Things that can kill you or rob you

[rthstewart]

I used to do this and the Skechers thing is one that bugged me the first time I saw the ads. So,

If you bought Skechers Shape Up and toning shoes, you may be entitled to a refund since the data that supported the claims wasn't adequate, supported, or reliable. 

FDA issues a warning about an unproven treatment for MS that could kill you.

The Advisory Committee on Antiviral Drugs recommended with certain caveats that the FDA approve the drug Truvada for Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) to reduce the risk of sexually acquired HIV-1 infection.  The vote to approve recommended it for all populations, including men who have sex with men and women -- empowering a woman to prevent HIV-1 infection herself being especially important if she is in a situation where she cannot insist her partner use a condom.

Weight loss products based upon the idea that they (but actually may not) contain HCG (human chorionic gonadotropin) don't work.  (This is another one that really infuriates me).

And, last but not least, Senator Leahy is demanding that FDA finalize 30 year old proposed regulations regarding sunscreens (Because FDA has been trying to update the sunscreen standards for longer than a lot of you have been alive. Really.) 

Comments

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

The number of fraudulent weight loss products marketed here is staggering. The claims were extravagant and false. I'm assuming there's some UK entity that goes after false advertising? I know more about the prescription drug area -- European companies get really excited when they find out they can advertise in the US. And I've got my New Balance for running.

[adaese.livejournal.com]

All medicinal claims (traditional herbal remedies as well as prescription drugs) are very tightly controlled. Claims for miracle weight loss cures are hedged about with vast amounts of footnotes in small print ("Can only work as part of a calorie-controlled diet"). ISTR the Skechers were carefully phrased along the lines of "designed to" improve muscle tone, promote weight loss, and so forth. And I have lost a few pounds since I started using them, but I strongly suspect that has just a little bit to do with the fact that I'm much more active than I was before :-P (I also suspect a recent flurry of short trips away, with all their attendant English B&B full fry-up breakfasts, will have undone a couple of years' worth of careful exercising, but I'm in no particular hurry to check).

[rthstewart.livejournal.com]

There's data from the Federal Trade Commission -- one of our many entities that regulates consumer products -- that shows that disclaimers don't work. The claim: "Lose 30 pounds in 30 days" followed by "Results not typical" led people to believe they would lose even more weight. Even a specific disclaimer: Lose 3-4 pounds the first week, 1-2 pounds per week thereafter and people thought it meant that's what the other guy did and they would lose more. I wonder if they ever tested the claim: This probably won't work for you.

Speaking of, I should probably get on the treadmill.