Beware of unproven medicines

As part of its crackdown against misleading and deceptive advertising, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) filed complaints against 11 companies alleged to be selling fake cancer cures online.

The companies sell various preparations, such as those made from laetrile (a substance naturally found in almonds, apricots and peaches), many types of herbs, shark cartilage, and mushroom extracts. The FTC says the companies employ deceptive advertising to induce online customers to buy their products.

In addition to the complaints, the FTC is also warning the general public, especially people who are desperately looking for cancer cures, to stay away from Web sites that promise extraordinary results from the products they sell.

On the positive side, the Internet has helped patients obtain more information about their condition and health care, said the FTC. The downside is that it has also become a medium where marketers can engage in blatant health fraud.

One example of deceptive advertising cited by the FTC was an ad that claimed “people with inoperable cancers sent home to die” had experienced “astonishing results” after they had used the product. In another ad, the company said, “… the medical profession has recognized Serum GV as the only available and effective topical treatment for skin cancer.”

The lawsuits are part of a wide-reaching program to curb deceptive advertising. Letters were sent to 112 web sites to warn them about possible fraudulent claims in their advertising. The FTC followed up after a few months, and found that 30 percent of the sites had been closed or had eliminated the exaggerated claims on their products.

The FTC is concerned that patients may no longer take effective treatments for cancer when they choose these unproven products. It is also possible that these products will interact in dangerous ways with other drugs prescribed for cancer. By themselves, some products may be completely harmless, but they may delay or interfere with proven treatments and thus cause indirect harm.

Some products with false promises:

* Black salves. Research has shown these salves to be harmful. The claim is that the salves cure cancer by “drawing out” the disease from beneath the skin. In fact, the salves burn skin and tissue, and can leave horrible scars.

* Hoxsey Cancer Treatment, a herbal regime. This is hawked as an effective treatment against cancer. In fact, FDA has taken legal action against this discredited therapy since the 1950s.

Safety Tips:
* Be wary of unverified testimonials and purported research results. To be sure, always consult your physician about new treatments or therapies.
* Consumers should take the phrases below as warning signs of exaggerated claims:
* “Treats all forms of cancer”
* “Makes skin cancers disappear”
* “Shrinks malignant tumors”
* “Avoid painful surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, or other conventional treatments”