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The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken legal action against a group of individuals and companies in connection with the advertising and sale of a dietary supplement called Coral Calcium Supreme. The FTC alleged that the marketers--Kevin Trudeau, Robert Barefoot, and their companies--violated the FTC Act by claiming, falsely or without substantiation, that Coral Calcium Supreme can treat or cure cancer, multiple sclerosis, lupus, heart disease, and chronic high blood pressure.

Coral Calcium Supreme is a dietary supplement supposedly made of marine coral from Okinawa, Japan.

In January 2004, a Federal court ruled in favor of the FTC against defendant Robert Barefoot and his companies Deonna Enterprises, Inc., and Karbo Enterprises, Inc., prohibiting them from making unsupported health claims about their product or any other coral calcium product or dietary supplement. The defendants are required to recall any product packaging that makes these claims and to notify resellers and distributors of their products about the FTC's action. The FTC is allowed to recover all of Robert Barefoot's royalties associated with Coral Calcium Supreme infomercial marketing.

The case against Kevin Trudeau and his companies is still pending.

In related efforts, the FTC and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) sent warning letters to Web site operators making similar claims about coral calcium products. The agencies warned the operators to remove any false or deceptive claims from their Web sites immediately.

Advice to Consumers Consumers should be aware that claims that coral calcium can treat or cure cancer, multiple sclerosis, lupus, heart disease, or high blood pressure are not supported by existing scientific evidence. These claims go far beyond the existing scientific evidence regarding the recognized health benefits of calcium. Consumers should discuss their use of dietary supplements with health care providers during their regularly scheduled visits.

More Information

• FTC Press Releases
  (www.ftc.gov/opa/2004/01/barefoot.htm) (1/22/2004)
  (www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/06/trudeau.htm) (6/10/2003
  
  
• FTC Complaint
  (www.ftc.gov/os/2003/06/coralcalciumcmp.pdf) (PDF) (6/10/2003)
  
  
• FTC Warning Letter to Internet Advertisers
  (www.ftc.gov/opa/2003/06/coralCaletter.htm) (6/10/2003)

Note: The PDF file requires a viewer such as Adobe Reader, which you can download free of charge from the Adobe Web site.

Date Reviewed: May 2004
Editorial Changes Made: November 2004