Firms Can No Longer Sell Shark Cartilage as Cancer Treatment

Federal regulators last week cracked down on two New Jersey-based companies that were promoting shark cartilage products as cancer treatments.

The Federal Trade Commission ordered Lane Labs-USA and Cartilage Consultants to stop promoting their shark cartilage products. The agency also fined Lane Labs $1 million for false advertising.

The two companies agreed to settle the FTC complaint after contending for months that the case was “groundless,” urging congressional leaders to oppose it and warning that the federal government was seeking “to prohibit you from purchasing safe, beneficial dietary supplements.”

Under the agreement, Lane Labs of Allendale, N.J., and Cartilage Consultants of Short Hills, N.J., agreed to stop marketing BeneFin, a shark cartilage product, and SkinAnswer, a topical skin cream, as cancer treatments. Lane Labs sells 270 caplets of BeneFin for $86.95.