Markets Wired

Following a public comment period, the Federal Trade Commission has approved a final order settling charges against a Texas-based marketer and seller of intravenously injected therapy products (iV Cocktails) who allegedly made a range of deceptive and unsupported health claims about their ability to treat serious diseases such as cancer, multiple sclerosis, and congestive heart failure.

The FTC’s complaint, announced in September 2018, alleged that A & O Enterprises Inc., doing business as iV Bars Incorporated and iVBars, and its owner and operator Aaron K. Roberts deceptively advertised, promoted, and sold a line of iV Cocktails, including one called the Myers Cocktail, to consumers seeking alternative treatments for major diseases. In marketing its products online, the iV Bars respondents allegedly made a range of unsupported health and efficacy claims for the treatments.

The final order settling the FTC’s charges prohibits the company, which operates clinics in north Texas; New Braunfels, Texas; and Vail, Colorado, and its owner from making such claims, unless they can be supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence.

The Commission vote approving the final consent order and the issuance of letters to the public commenters was 4-0-1, with Commissioner Christine Wilson not participating. (The staff contact is Tom Carter, FTC’s Southwest Region, 214-979-9372.)

The Federal Trade Commission works to promote competition, and protect and educate consumers. You can learn more about consumer topics and file a consumer complaint online or by calling 1-877-FTC-HELP (382-4357). Like the FTC on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, read our blogs, and subscribe to press releases for the latest FTC news and resources.