FDA and FTC Urged to Bring Enforcement Proceedings Against Joseph Mer cola for False COVID-19 Health Claims
Online salesman Joseph Mer cola falsely claims that at least 22 vitamins, supplements, and other products available for sale on his web site can prevent, treat, or cure COVID-19 infection, according to letters submitted today to the Food and Drug Administration and the Federal Trade Commission by the Center for Science in the Public Interest and two nonprofit legal groups. CSPI, Justice Catalyst Law, and the People’s Parity Project are asking the agencies to bring enforcement proceedings against Mer cola, an osteopathic physician who offers “medical” advice and sells supplements and other products on the highly trafficked Mer cola.com web site.
CSPI policy director Laura MacCleery will cite Mer cola’s marketing practices when she testifies this afternoon before a subcommittee of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation on the topic of protecting Americans from COVID-19 scams.
Mer cola.com, which describes itself as the world’s “#1 most visited natural health website” and viewed by “millions of people daily,” features a “Coronavirus Resource Guide” which claims that vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, zinc ionophores, selenium, and other supplements and devices he sells can prevent, treat or cure COVID-19. On his podcast, Mer cola and a guest claimed that “when we have even a small amount of vitamin C, our risk of dying [from COVID-19], even in the most severe cases, goes down.” Mer cola lists vitamin D as “#4” on a list of tips to “combat coronavirus,” and suggests consumers use a test kit to determine their supplemental dosage. Mer cola sells both the test kits and the pills. There is no adequate evidence for any of these claims.
Even worse, Mer cola advised consumers on a March 29 episode of his podcast and in an accompanying article on his site that intentionally contracting the virus after consuming purportedly immunity-boosting supplements would confer greater protection against COVID-19 than a vaccine would, saying: “So, scary as it may sound, the best thing is to get the infection, and have a strong immune system to defend against it so you won’t even display any symptoms.”
https://www.cspinet.org/news/fda-an...-against-joseph-*******-false-covid-19-health
are they then saying that vit c, vit D, zinc etc has no positive effect? plain logic dictates that those supplements help, they are known to strengthen your immune system. already at the beginning of this crisis they found out that the worst cases and the ones dieing nearly all had low vit d levels. i been taking vit d oil drops for a while now, my pharmacy sells it like hot cake at the moment.