U.S. Targeting Fraudulent Medical Advice on the Net

With Americans increasingly turning to the Internet for medical information, federal officials announced stepped-up efforts Thursday to counter fraudulent online claims that promise to cure ailments from arthritis to AIDS.

More than 20 million Americans look to the Internet for health information--70% of them before visiting a doctor’s office, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Officials said they expect the online medical universe to expand in coming years, replete with both helpful and hazardous advice that is often difficult for consumers to distinguish.

“We have seen the value of the Internet, and we’re going to continue to promote the value of the Internet’s ability to provide truthful information,” said Jodie Bernstein, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “But when information on Web sites is deceptive and untruthful, consumers are at risk.”

Among the misleading claims the agency reported it has encountered online are that a fatty acid could cure arthritis by permanently modifying the immune system, that shark cartilage could treat cancer and AIDS, and that “magnetic therapy devices” could be effective in battling cancer, liver disease and other serious ailments.

Making public proposed settlement agreements with four companies that boasted those claims, the FTC said it is aiming to “put the quacks out of business” with tougher enforcement by federal and state authorities and a new consumer education campaign.

Bernstein acknowledged that the Internet is so vast that not every faulty claim can be monitored. As a result, she said, the key for consumers will be to find ways to evaluate the barrage of online information to find reliable sites.

The FTC recommended that consumers interested in gaining medical advice online start at U.S. government Web sites--such as www.healthfinder.gov--that provide links to reputable sources of information.

Officials said consumers should stay away from sites that:

* Advertise a product as a quick and effective cure-all for a range of ailments.

* Use phrases like “scientific breakthrough,” “exclusive product” and “secret ingredient.”

* Include impressive-sounding terminology to disguise a lack of scientific proof.

* Claim the government or other groups have conspired to suppress the product.

* List undocumented case histories claiming amazing results.

FTC surveys of the Internet in 1997 and 1998 produced 400 sites each year that contained questionable medical claims. Officials sent e-mails to those sites, informing them that their claims could violate federal law. The agency said about one in four of the 1998 pool either removed their claims or deleted the site entirely.

Representatives of legitimate public and private medical Web sites praised the FTC’s initiative for helping to remove some of the cyber-clutter that makes it more difficult for consumers to find medically sound information.

“Separating what’s good on the Internet from what is bad or just plain ugly isn’t really easy,” said Mary Jo Deering, who chairs the steering committee for the www.healthfinder.gov site.

“You’ve heard the phrase that finding information on the Internet is like drinking from a fire hose,” Deering said. “I always add, ‘Yes, and you don’t even know where the water came from.’ ”