FTC Commission warns of Potassium Iodide Treatment Scam

The Federal Trade Commission, the nations consumer protection agency, cautions that fraudsters follow the headlines, tailoring their offers to prey on current consumer fears and vulnerabilities.

The FTC, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Food and Drug Administration, urge consumers to –

Consult their doctors before they buy: Some people are allergic to iodine and shouldn’t take potassium iodide. (A seafood or shellfish allergy doesn’t necessarily mean that you are allergic to iodine.) If you are unsure about this, consult your doctor. People with certain skin conditions (for example, dermatitis herpetiformis or hypocomplementemic vasculitis), as well as people with nodular thyroid with heart disease, should not take KI.

* Understand that taking potassium iodide cannot:

* prevent radioactive iodine from entering the body. It can protect the thyroid, but not other parts of the body, from radioactive iodine.

* reverse the health effects caused by radioactive iodine once damage to the thyroid has occurred.

* protect the body from radioactive elements other than radioactive iodine. If radioactive iodine is not present, taking potassium iodide will not help.

* If you decide to buy potassium iodide, buy it only from a reputable source. Iosat, ThyroSafe, and ThyroShield are the only potassium iodide products that are FDA-approved and can be legally marketed and sold in the United States.

For more information on these products, contact:

* Anbex, Inc. for Iosat Tablets (130 mg) at 212-580-2810 (M-F 9am-5pm EST), at 1-866-463-6754 (other times), or www.anbex.com

* ThyroSafe Tablets (65 mg) at 1-866-849-7672 or http://www.thyrosafe.com/recip.html

* Fleming & Company, Pharmaceuticals for ThyroShield Solution at 636-343-8200 or http://www.flemingcompany.comor http://www.thyroshield.com

* Follow dosing instructions carefully. More is not better: Taking a higher dose of potassium iodide – or taking it more often than recommended – doesn’t offer any additional protection; in fact, it can cause severe illness – even death.

* For More Information from the Federal Government:

* Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Radiation Emergencies

– Potassium Iodide

– Frequently Asked Questions About a Radiation Emergency

* Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

-Frequently Asked Questions on Potassium Iodide

– Radiation Emergencies

* U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service (USDA, FSIS)

– For a table of links to each state’s Department of Health page

This information is provided under a cooperative agreement between the Better Business Bureau and the U. S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), which has prepared this information. The FTC works to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop, and avoid these practices. To learn more about the FTC and its services, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261.