FTC Staff Comment: FDA Should Reevaluate Its Current Regulatory Framework for Homeopathic Products

The staff of the Federal Trade Commission has recommended that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration reconsider the framework it uses to regulate homeopathic medications because it may appear to conflict with the FTC’s advertising substantiation doctrine in ways that could harm consumers and cause confusion for advertisers. In a comment submitted to the FDA, […]

FTC Stops Elusive Business Opportunity Scheme

Eighteen elusive marketers who cheated American and Canadian consumers out of more than $7 million are banned from selling business or work-at-home opportunities under court orders obtained by the Federal Trade Commission. These orders, along with court orders against 14 other people and companies named in the FTC’s lawsuit, resolve charges that the defendants conned […]

FTC Approves Final Order Preserving Competition in U.S. Markets for Three Orthopedic Medical Products

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges that Zimmer Holdings, Inc.’s $13.35 billion acquisition of Biomet, Inc. is anticompetitive. Under the order, first announced in June 2015, the merged company agreed to divest Zimmer’s U.S. ZUK unicondylar knee implant rights and assets to London-based Smith & […]

FTC: Lights Out for Falsely Advertised UV Disinfectant Devices

Two marketers of ultraviolet light “disinfectant” devices have agreed to stop making claims that their devices can wipe out foot fungus and dangerous bacteria like MRSA, E. coli, and Salmonella in order to settle Federal Trade Commission charges alleging they engaged in false and unsubstantiated advertising. The settlements impose judgments of $656,423 and $629,359, against […]

FTC Announces Agenda for First Start with Security Conference in San Francisco

Federal Trade Commission Chairwoman Edith Ramirez will provide the opening remarks at the FTC’s first Start with Security conference, being held Sept. 9 at the University of California Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. Featuring the experts that built security programs at Dropbox, Etsy, Pinterest, Twitter, and other high-growth startups, the San Francisco […]

Pharmaceutical Companies Settle FTC Charges of an Illegal Agreement not to Compete, which Resulted in Higher Prices for Generic Version of ADHD Drug

Pharmaceutical companies Concordia Pharmaceuticals Inc. and Par Pharmaceutical, Inc. have settled FTC charges that they entered into an unlawful agreement not to compete in the sale of generic versions of Kapvay, a prescription drug used to treat Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. As part of the settlement, the companies agreed not to enforce the anticompetitive provisions […]

Thirteen Companies Agree to Settle FTC Charges They Falsely Claimed To Comply With International Safe Harbor Framework

Thirteen companies have agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that they misled consumers by claiming they were certified members of the U.S.-EU or U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor Frameworks when their certifications had lapsed or the companies had never applied for membership in the program at all. The U.S.-EU and U.S.-Swiss Safe Harbor Frameworks allow companies […]

FTC Awards $25,000 Top Cash Prize for Contest-Winning Mobile App That Blocks Illegal Robocalls

The Federal Trade Commission announced that judges for its Robocalls: Humanity Strikes Back contest selected a first place winner for the $25,000 cash prize for building a mobile app that blocks and forwards robocalls to a crowd-sourced honeypot. Ethan Garr and Bryan Moyles created a solution called RoboKiller, which relies on universally available call forwarding […]

FTC Commissioner Joshua D. Wright to Resign

Joshua D. Wright, who has served as a Commissioner of the Federal Trade Commission since January 2013, will resign his position with his last day as a commissioner on Monday, August 24, 2015. “It has been a privilege to work with Commissioner Wright during his tenure at the Federal Trade Commission,” said FTC Chairwoman Edith […]

“Melanoma Detection” App Sellers Barred from Making Deceptive Health Claims

The final defendant remaining in a Federal Trade Commission lawsuit challenging false or unsubstantiated claims for a set of purported “melanoma detection” apps is barred from making any further deceptive health claims about his products under a settlement with agency. Avrom Lasarow has settled FTC charges in connection with the so-called “Mole Detective” family of […]