HIV and AIDS
Human Immunodeficiency
Virus and
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome
FDA/State AIDS Health Fraud Task Forces
Evaluating Medical Therapies
The Task Forces are a network of AIDS Health Fraud Task Forces throughout the
United States developed as a proactive approach to combat these fraudulent product/treatment
promotions affecting people with HIV/AIDS and their partners, family, and friends.
The network, sponsored by the US Food & Drug Administration, strives to
promote awareness, and prevent fraud through education that empowers individuals.
The Task Forces have developed hotlines, workshops, conferences, and advocacy
sharing as an alert mechanism to new fraudulent product promotion. Media has
been utilized to broaden awareness in the diverse communities served. Members
of the Task Force Network include people living with HIV/AIDS, treatment advocates,
community based organizations, health care practitioners, educators, federal
and state government officials, and local health care departments.
- FDA, States Collaborate for Safety's Sake ,
FDA Consumer article describing the AIDS Fraud Task Forces and discussing
their functions. (March 1996)
- US Network of AIDS Health Fraud Task Forces Empowers
Communities to Make Informed Choices About Their Health Care, Poster presentation,
12th World AIDS Conference, June 28-July 3,1998
- ORA Health Fraud
Contacts, April 4, 1999
- Buying Medical Products Online,
a new FDA Web site to help you tell if a Web site that sells medical products
is legitimate, what you should do before you buy medical products online.
This site also contains a link to where you can report problem web sites.
- Operation Cure All
Battle Internet Health Fraud, FDA has joined with the Federal
Trade Commission (FTC) and others in a program aimed at stopping Internet
scams that promote dietary supplements, devices, and other products as cures
or treatments for HIV/AIDS and other life-threatening diseases. June 14, 2001.
Fraud Task Forces Web Pages
- Healthfraud.org -- a comprehensive
page with links to particular topic areas (news, state organizations, dietary
supplements, warning letters)
- California
- Colorado
- Florida
- Missouri
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Puerto Rico
- Texas
Dietary Supplements
- Information About
Dietary Supplements from the FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.
- Adverse Event Reporting
for Dietary Supplements -- Reporting Illness or Injury Associated With
a Dietary Supplement to FDA
- An FDA Guide to Dietary Supplements,
by Paula Kurtzweil, FDA Consumer, September/October 1998
- Office of Dietary Supplements,
National Institutes of Health web site providing information about the NIH,
Office of Dietary Supplements, including its origins, programs and activities,
and scientific resources.
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative
Medicine, NIH, conducts and supports basic and applied research
and training and disseminates information on complementary and alternative
medicine to practitioners and the public.
- Food Labeling: Health Claims and Label Statements for Dietary Supplements;
Strategy for Implementation of Pearson Court Decision. December 1, 1999.
Pages 67289-67291 [FR Doc. 99-31122 ] [PDF version ] The Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) is informing the public of its strategy to implement a recent court
decision in Pearson v. Shalala (Pearson). The agency is taking this action
to ensure that interested persons are aware of the steps it plans to follow
to carry out the decision. FDA is also announcing how it plans to process
petitions for dietary supplement health claims during the interim implementation
period.
- U. S. Court of Appeals, District of Columbia Circuit, January 15, 1999,
Durk Pearson and Sandy
Shaw, American Preventive Medical Association and Citizens for Health, Appellants
v. Donna E. Shalala, Secretary, United States Department of Health and Human
Services, et al.,
Appellees, instructs FDA to define the term "significant scientific
agreement" for Health Claims on dietary supplement labels and to allow
the use of disclaimers on labels.
- FDA alerted consumers not to purchase or consume products, some of which
are labeled as dietary supplements, that contain Gamma Butyrolactone (abbreviated
as GBL). FDA has also asked the companies that manufacture these products
to voluntarily recall them. FDA has received reports of serious health
problems -- some that are potentially life-threatening -- associated with
the use of these products. January 21, 1999
Articles
- Cracking Down on Health Fraud,
by Michelle Meadows, tells stories of FDA health fraud activities, and talks
about ways to help spot potential health fruad. FDA Consumer, Novermber-December
2006
- Maryland Businessman Sentenced
for Illegally Marketing Aloe Vera Compounds as AIDS and Cancer Treatments,
December 5, 2001
- FDA Warning Letters for Unapproved
HIV/AIDS Test Kits, January 19, 2000
- Buying Medical Products Online,
a new FDA web site to help you tell if a Web site that sells medical products
is legitimate, what you should do before you buy medical products online.
This site also contains a link to where you can report problem web sites.
(HHS News Release, December 20, 1999)
- FDA Takes Action Against Firm
Marketing Unapproved Drugs, December 10, 1999. One of the products is
MGN-3, a rice-bran extract, promoted as a treatment for cancer and HIV.
The firm involved is Lane Labs-USA, Allendale, NJ.
- How to Spot Health Fraud,
Paula Kurtzwell, FDA Consumer November-December 1999
- FDA Issues Final Rule on OTC
Drug Products Containing Colloidal Silver, saying all over the counter
drug products containing colloidal silver or silver salts are not recognized
as safe and effective and are misbranded. Federal Register Announcement
"Over-the-Counter Drug Products Containing Colloidal Silver Ingredients
or Silver Salts". Pages 44653-44658 [FR Doc. 99-21253]
[Text Format] [PDF Format], August 17, 1999.
- Phony Doc Sentenced to Real
Jail Time, by Carol Lewis, Investigators Reports, FDA Consumer, January-February 1999
- Ozone Generator Sentencing - On March 29, 1999, Kenneth Thiefault and his
wife Mardol Barber were sentenced in a Florida court for their conviction
last year on conspiracy, distribution of an ozone generator, mail fraud, wire
fraud, and tax violations. The court sentenced Mr. Thiefault to 72 months
of incarceration (to be followed by 3 years of supervised release), imposed
a $100,000 fine, and ordered payment of $14,400 in restitution. The
court sentenced the Ms. Barber to 33 months of incarceration (followed by
3 years of supervised release) and imposed a fine of $60,000. Additionally,
the court ordered both defendants to help the IRS compute their back taxes
and banned both defendants from participating in any securities or telemarketing
businesses in the future. The couple were making claims that the ozone generators
can oxidize toxins in the body and cure everything from gangrene to cancer
to AIDS.
- The MedWatch program is to enhance the
effectiveness of postmarketing surveillance of medical products as they are
used in clinical practice and to rapidly identify significant health hazards
associated with these products. Visit the MedWatch page and learn how
to work with your health care professional to report possible adverse reactions.
The identify of the patient is kept confidential.
- MedWatch: FDA's 'Heads Up on
Medical Product Safety, FDA Consumer article discussing the MedWatch
program to improve the safety of drugs, biologics, medical devices,
dietary supplements, medical foods, infant formulas, and other regulated products
by encouraging health care professionals to report serious adverse events
and product defects. (November-December 1998)
- Businessman Sentenced to Over Five Years for Selling
Bogus HIV-Testing Kits (February 17, 1999)
- FDA Warns Consumers About Two Unapproved
Home-Use Test Kits, FDA is advising consumers and pharmacists about two
unapproved, fraudulently marketed home-use test kits distributed by Lei-Home
Access Care.
September 26, 1997
- Access to Medical Treatment H.R. 746, Statement
by Lead Deputy Commissioner, FDA (April 22, 1998)
- An FDA Guide to Choosing Medical Treatments
(June 1995)
Easy to read HTML format
Easy to read PDF
format
- Testimony before Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime and
Criminal Justice, Randolph Wykoff, M.D., Director of AIDS Office (May
27, 1993)
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