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WEEKLY NEWS 2: Infomercial Star Banned

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) banned infomercial star Kevin Trudeau from advertising diet supplements and pain relievers on Tuesday.

Trudeau must pay $2 million for making misleading claims about his Coral Calcium Supreme dietary supplement and Biotape painkilling adhesive strip. The infomercials Trudeau produced and starred in said the supplement could treat cancer, high blood pressure, heart disease, lupus and other sicknesses. The nationally televised infomercials also said the adhesive strip could relieve headaches, severe backaches and pain from arthritis.

The FTC is banning Trudeau from playing any role in the production or distribution of infomercials. He is allowed to advertise books, newsletters, or other publications, but is banned from promoting health products like the supplements and adhesive strips in any manner.

“This ban is meant to shut down an infomercial empire that has misled American consumers for years,” said Lydia Parnes, acting director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Other habitual false advertisers should take a lesson: Mend your ways or face serious consequences.”

The FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection enforces trade regulations and federal laws meant to protect citizens from fraud and other unfair business practices. People who feel they have been misled or treated unfairly by a business can file a complaint on the FTC’s website at www.ftc.gov.

--Written by Saundra Latham

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