ANALYSIS OF PROPOSED CONSENT
ORDER TO AID PUBLIC COMMENT

The Federal Trade Commission has accepted, subject to final approval, an agreement to a proposed Consent Order ("proposed order") from CMO Distribution Centers of America, Inc., and Kalon Samulonis, individually and as an officer of CMO Distribution Centers of America, Inc.

The proposed consent order has been placed on the public record for thirty (30) days for the reception of comments by interested persons. Comments received during this period will become part of the public record. After thirty (30) days, the Commission will again review the agreement and will decide whether it should withdraw from the agreement or make final the agreement's proposed order.

This matter concerns advertisements on the Internet for a product called "CMO," described as a form of cetylmyristoleate, said to be derived from beef. CMO is purportedly useful in the treatment or cure of arthritis and other diseases. According to the proposed respondents' advertising, CMO affects the human immune system in one or two courses of treatment, each lasting less than three weeks. The proposed respondents claimed their product permanently relieves the symptoms of osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis and reverses the effects of the disease. CMO was also claimed to be useful for the treatment, mitigation, prevention, and cure of most forms of arthritis and a number of other diseases.

The Commission's complaint charges that the proposed respondents engaged in deceptive advertising in violation of Sections 5 and 12 of the FTC Act by making unsubstantiated claims that their CMO products: (1) are effective in the mitigation, treatment, prevention, and cure of all forms of arthritis, except gouty arthritis; (2) relieve all symptoms of arthritis, including pain, impaired mobility, swelling, and deformity; (3) are as effective as, or superior to, prescription medications for the treatment of arthritis and the relief of arthritis symptoms; (4) are effective in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, leukemia, lupus, emphysema, cancer, benign prostate hyperplasia, silicone breast disease, asthma, fibromyalgia, and scleroderma; and (5) are completely safe and without harmful side effects, even at extremely high doses.

The complaint further alleges that the proposed respondents made false claims that: (1) clinical studies prove that CMO is a safe and effective treatment for virtually all forms of arthritis except gouty arthritis; (2) CMO is accepted by the medical community; (3) Time magazine reported in its October 28, 1996 issue that CMO™ is one of the most promising developments in arthritis research; and (4) the Arthritis Foundation has not commented on CMO, except to suggest that when taking CMO, patients should consult their physicians before reducing steroids or other medications.

The proposed order contains provisions designed to remedy the violations charged and to prevent proposed respondents from engaging in similar acts in the future.

Paragraph I of the proposed order prohibits proposed respondents from making any representation that CMO or any similar product: (1) is effective in the mitigation, treatment, prevention, or cure of arthritis; (2) provides significant relief from symptoms of arthritis, including pain, swelling, impaired mobility, or deformity; (3) is as effective as, or superior to, prescription medications for the treatment of arthritis or the relief of arthritis symptoms; (4) is effective in the treatment of multiple sclerosis, leukemia, lupus, emphysema, cancer, benign prostate hyperplasia, silicone breast disease, asthma, fibromyalgia, or scleroderma; or (5) is safe or has no adverse side effects, unless, at the time the representation is made, respondents possess and rely upon competent and reliable scientific evidence that substantiates the representation.

Paragraph II of the proposed order prohibits proposed respondents from making any representations about the performance, safety, efficacy, or health benefits of CMO or any other food, dietary supplement, or drug, unless the claims are substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence.

Paragraph III of the proposed order prohibits proposed respondents from using the name "cmocure," using the word "cure" in an address or telephone number, or using any other name, address, or telephone number in marketing a food, dietary supplement, drug, or program, to represent a cure for any disease or health-related condition, unless the respondents possess and rely upon competent, reliable scientific evidence substantiating the representation.

Paragraph IV of the proposed order prohibits the proposed respondents from misrepresenting that a product or program is endorsed or approved by any governmental, professional, or private organization or association, or complies with standards or guidelines established by such organization or association.

Paragraph V of the proposed order prohibits proposed respondents from misrepresenting the existence, contents, validity, results, conclusions, or interpretations of any test, study, or research.

Paragraph VI of the proposed order prohibits proposed respondents from representing that the experience represented by any user testimonial or endorsement of any product or program represents the typical or ordinary experience of members of the public who use the product or program, unless the representation is true, and competent and reliable scientific evidence substantiates that claim, or respondents clearly and prominently disclose either: (1) what the generally expected results would be for users or the product or program; or (2) the limited applicability of the endorser's experience to what consumers may generally expect to achieve, that is, that consumers should not expect to experience similar results.

Paragraph VII of the proposed order provides that proposed respondents are not prohibited from making representations which are specifically permitted by regulations of the Food and Drug Administration pursuant to the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990. Paragraph VIII of the proposed order provides that proposed respondents are not prohibited from making representations for a drug that are permitted under tentative final or final standards issued by the Food and Drug Administration or under any new drug application approved by that agency.

Paragraph IX of the proposed order requires that proposed respondents: (1) not disseminate to any distributor any material containing any representations prohibited by the order; (2) not authorize any distributor to make any representations prohibited by the order; (3) send a required notice to each distributor with whom proposed respondents have done business since January 1, 1996, requesting that the distributor cease using any advertising or promotional materials containing unsubstantiated claims for CMO, requesting distributors not to make unsubstantiated oral representations, informing the distributor of this settlement, and not including any other documents in the mailing; (4) for a period of three (3) years following service of the order, send the required notice to each distributor who has not previously received the notice; the notices shall be sent with the first shipment of respondents' products to the distributor; (5) require distributors to submit to proposed respondents all advertising and promotional materials and claims for any products or programs covered by the order for review prior to their dissemination and publication, and not authorize distributors to disseminate materials and claims unless they comply with the order; alternatively, proposed respondents must furnish to distributors marketing materials that comply with the order and require the distributors to submit for review all advertising and promotional materials for a particular product covered by the order that contain representations that are not substantially similar to the representations for the same product or program contained in the marketing materials most recently provided to the distributors by proposed respondents; and (6) use reasonable efforts to monitor distributors' advertising and promotional activities, immediately terminate the right of any distributor who disseminates advertisements or marketing material or makes oral representations prohibited by the order, and immediately provide information to the Federal Trade Commission about any such distributor and the materials used. "Distributor" is defined in the proposed order to mean any person who purchased a product covered by the order from the respondents for resale or at a discounted or wholesale price unavailable to the general public at the time of the purchase, or who has purchased more than twelve bottles or packages of a covered product from respondents within a twelve-month period.

Paragraph X of the proposed order requires the proposed respondents to send a prescribed notice to each person, other than a distributor, who purchased respondents' CMO products and can be identified through a diligent search of respondents' records. The notice offers a refund of the purchase price and any shipping or handling charges to customers who purchased respondents' CMO product for personal use or the use of a family member and who make a request for a refund within ninety days of the date of the notice. Paragraph XI of the proposed order requires the proposed respondents to submit a report to the Federal Trade Commission specifying the actions they have taken to comply with the provisions of Paragraph X. Paragraph XII of the proposed order requires proposed respondents to retain for five years after the last correspondence to which they pertain and to make available to the Federal Trade Commission on request, copies of notification letters, communications with distributors, and other materials relating to the requirements of Paragraph IX and Paragraph X.

Paragraph XIII of the proposed order contains record keeping requirements for materials that substantiate, qualify, or contradict covered claims and requires proposed respondents to keep and maintain all advertisements and promotional materials containing any representation covered by the proposed order. In addition, Paragraph XIV requires distribution of a copy of the consent decree to current and future officers and agents. Further, Paragraph XV requires the filing of a compliance report. Paragraph XVI of the proposed order requires the respondents to notify the Federal Trade Commission in advance of any change in the corporation that may affect compliance obligations arising under the order.

Finally, Paragraph XVII of the proposed order provides for the termination of the order after twenty years under certain circumstances.

The purpose of this analysis is to facilitate public comment on the proposed order, and it is not intended to constitute an official interpretation of the agreement and proposed order, or to modify in any way their terms.