New FTC Health-Related Advertising Guidelines Released

Marketing companies take notice: on December 20, 2022, the Federal Trade Commission's ("FTC's" or "Agency's") Bureau of Consumer Protection released a 40-page, comprehensive Health Products Compliance Guidance (the "Guide"). The new Guide is considered to be a significant update to the earlier 1998 version, Dietary Supplements: An Advertising Guide for Industry.The FTC Health-related advertising guide is comprehensive and restrictive in coverage, containing many illustrative examples of what constitutes prohibited marketing conduct. As many readers know, the FTC is tasked with preventing "unfair or deceptive acts or practices" in interstate commerce. Accordingly, the Agency tirelessly pursues advertising companies that operate in a way that may deceive consumers. The new Guide was released to help ensure that marketing claims concerning the purported benefits and safety of health-related products are both accurate and substantiated, so that consumers can make informed