Written by Colleen Tressler Division of Consumer and Business Education, FTC
There are no supplements proven to treat or prevent COVID-19. But that doesn’t stop some companies from making these kind of unsubstantiated claims, or even false claims that their products work as well — or better — than available COVID-19 vaccines. If you see claims like these, the FTC wants you to ignore them.
The first action taken under the COVID-19 Consumer Protection Act charges St. Louis-based chiropractor Eric Anthony Nepute and his company Quickwork LLC with deceptively marketing vitamin D and zinc products as proven immunity boosters that effectively treat or prevent COVID-19. What’s more, the defendants claim their products offer equal or better protection from the disease than available vaccines. The complaint, filed by the Department of Justice on the FTC’s behalf, says that the defendants don’t have the scientific evidence to back up their treatment or prevention claims, much less the claims that their products are as good as (or superior to) approved COVID-19 vaccines.