Companies must support their advertising claims with solid proof. This is especially true for businesses that market food, over-the-counter drugs, dietary supplements, contact lenses, and other health-related products.
Plain Language Guidance
The Federal Trade Commission enforces the Eyeglass Rule. It requires eye doctors – ophthalmologists and optometrists – to give patients a copy of their prescription, whether they ask for it or not and before offering to sell eyeglasses. It’s the law. Here are questions and answers to help you comply with the Eyeglass Rule.
The Federal Trade Commission enforces the Contact Lens Rule (amended in 2020), which requires eye care providers to give customers copies of their prescriptions.
People who rely on online reviews of companies, products, and services should be getting an accurate picture of what other consumers think. If you operate a website or platform that features reviews, have processes in place to ensure those reviews truly reflect the feedback received from genuine customers.
To help media outlets spot false weight loss representations — "gut check" claims — the FTC has compiled a list of seven advertising claims that are likely to be a tip-off to deception. Take the quiz to see if you can trust your gut to spot them.
Companies must have appropriate substantiation to back up claims for health-related products. Through more than 50 examples, this guidance explains the how-tos of making sure you have scientific support.
This guidance for eye care providers on marketing Lasik and alternative laser refractive procedures, known as surface ablation techniques, explains the requirements of Section 5 of the FTC Act that apply to the promotion of these procedures.
When developing a health app, sound privacy and security practices are key to consumer confidence. Here are some best practices to help you build privacy and security into your app. These practices also can help you comply with the FTC Act and other federal laws and regulations.
You’re developing a health app for mobile devices and you want to know which federal laws apply. Check out this interactive tool.
Consumers rely on online reviews in deciding what to buy. But some businesses abuse that trust by writing or procuring fake reviews or by paying supposedly independent websites for good rankings. Is your company taking steps to avoid that kind of deception and manipulation?
Consumers have the right to shop around when buying contact lenses — and prescribers and sellers have specific legal obligations. Are you complying with the Contact Lens Rule?
These guidelines, developed by a panel of weight management companies, medical professionals, and consumer protection groups, can help you give consumers the accurate information they need when evaluating weight loss products and services.
Resources
Companies must have appropriate substantiation to back up claims for health-related products. Through more than 50 examples, this guidance explains the how-tos of making sure you have scientific support.