FTC stops unsupported claims for opiate withdrawal treatments

A company that marketed itself as “the leader in home opiate detox since 2009” and its chief executive have settled US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) charges that the withdrawal treatment claims for their “Withdrawal Ease” and “Recovery Ease” products were false or unsupported by scientific evidence.

The court order settling the FTC’s charges bars Catlin Enterprises, Inc. and George Catlin, based in Austin, Texas, from making claims about opiate withdrawal, opiate dependency, or other health conditions, including through their product names, unless they possess competent and reliable science to back up those claims.

“Opioid addiction is a scourge that has affected millions of Americans,” said Acting FTC Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen, adding: “People who struggle with this problem need real help, not phony claims and false promises like the ones peddled by these defendants.”