A U.S. company has been warned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over statements regarding CBD’s effectiveness in the fight against coronavirus (COVID-19).
The company, Neuro XPF, had used slogans such as “Crush Corona!” and “prepare your body to fight a coronavirus infection” in marketing for CBD products on its website, and in one instance stating: “While scientists around the world are working 24/7 to develop a COVID-19 vaccine, it will take many more months of testing before it’s approved and available. However, there’s something you can do right now to strengthen your immune system. Take CBD.”
Violation?
Those and other statements used by the company violate the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, FDA and FTC advised the company in a warning letter this week.
“FDA is advising consumers not to purchase or use certain products that have not been approved, cleared, or authorized by FDA and that are being misleadingly represented as safe and/or effective for the treatment or prevention of COVID-19,” the agencies further wrote in their letter to Neuro XPF.
“Any coronavirus-related prevention or treatment claims regarding such products are not supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence,” the agencies wrote.
The agencies ordered Neuro XPF to stop selling the products as being effective for “mitigation, prevention, treatment, diagnosis or cure of COVID-19, the disease caused by the novel coronavirus.” The regulators noted that a vaccine is likely a year away and no products are approved to treat COVID 19.
Only latest warnings
The FDA and FTC sent similar warning letters to three other companies Monday after having issued warnings in March to seven firms selling essential oils, tinctures and colloidal silver as products that could prevent or treat COVID-19. The FDA sent warning letters to 15 companies in November last year for the illegal sale of CBD. in April this year, the agency warned three U.S. CBD sellers over “egregious” cancer claims
Neuro XPF founder Kyle Turley created the company after suffering more than 100 concussions as a player in the (U.S.) National Football League, according to his company’s website.