• Latest News
  • October 2007
  • September 2006
• News Archive
  • June 2006
  • April 2006
  • March 2006
  • February 2006
  • November 2005
  • October 2005
  • August 2005
  • July 2005
  • June 2005
  • Q1 2005

News

Dietary Supplement Marketing Company Joins Nationwide Effort to Stop Government Censorship ITV Joins Congressmen to Speak at Hearing on Health Freedom Protection Act

November 17, 2005   Boston, MA

ITV, along with the Coalition to Stop FDA & FTC Censorship, testified at a Food and Drug Administration hearing today in support of the Health Freedom Protection Act, which was introduced in Congress last week.

Having filed a lawsuit this October against the Federal Trade Commission, seeking relief and damages in response to a concerted effort by the agency to destroy the company's business and suppress its rights to free commercial speech under the First and Fifth Amendments, ITV, based in Beverly, MA, is one of the many dietary supplement marketing companies that are now fighting back against the government's inhibition.

The Health Freedom Protection Act (HR 4282) seeks to end the FDA's censorship of marketing companies that promote natural supplements and to make accessible to consumers all information about research that supports claims of natural supplements' health benefits. It puts the burden of proof on the FDA to establish evidence that an advertisement is false and misleading, and codifies the First Amendment standard adopted by the federal courts.

Congressional co-sponsors of the bill include: Representatives Ron Paul (R-TX), Rob Bishop (R-UT), Walter Jones (R-NC), John J. Duncan (R-TN), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Roscoe Bartlett (R-MD), Dan Burton (R-IN), Jeff Miller (R-FL), Butch Otter (R-ID), Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA), and Tom Tancredo (R-CO).

On the need for legislative corrective action, ITV's CEO, Donald Barrett said, "The government is targeting small marketing companies with frivolous lawsuits for false advertising in order to stomp out the promotion of natural remedies and silence their criticism of the pharmaceutical industry." Barrett continued, "We have requested that the government clearly define its standards for substantiation so that we may actively provide consumers the proper research findings to support the positive health benefits that we know our products have. The FTC denied our request and has shown no signs of cooperating with our desire to make that research publicly available."

"The Health Freedom Protection Act not only prevents the FDA from denying the public access to health information, but it also arrests the actions of the FTC that are damaging businesses across the United States," added Barrett. "The positive health effects of all natural products are supported by scientific evidence and that literature should be made available to the public."

ITV was founded in 2003 as a full-service direct response marketing company that promotes all natural dietary supplements. The company extends a 90-day money-back guarantee on its products. The industry standard is 30 days. For more information about the Coalition to Stop FDA & FTC Censorship, visit http://www.stopfdacensorship.org/.