12 March 2021 — The Federal Appeals Court that serves the West Coast made a decision that supports commercial freedom of speech regarding dietary supplements. Reuters reports:
A class action lawsuit accusing big box retailer Target Corp and nutritional supplement makers International Vitamin Corp and Perrigo Co of falsely marketing biotin, a nutritional supplement, as promoting healthy hair and skin is preempted by federal law, a federal appeals court has ruled.
A unanimous panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals held …that the claims made on the supplement’s label were protected by the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) as general claims about the structure and function of biotin, and that the product included appropriate disclaimers, affirming a lower court order dismissing the case.
What this means is that States like California cannot impose stricter “false advertising” rules than the Federal Government imposes. It means there is a national standard for claims. When general structure and function claims are made — with appropriate disclaimers — Federal law protects the claims.
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