The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning three companies it says are marketing products as possible treatments or cures for Ebola; two of those companies are here in Utah.
The FDA said Lehi-based Young Living and dōTERRA International, LLC in Pleasant Grove are promoting products some of their salesmen claim help ailments like Ebola.
The products are not FDA-approved drugs.
Both companies use independent distributors as their sales force and that’s who the FDA is specifically targeting.
Some of the companies' distributors made false claims about the products preventing and treating Ebola on their websites, Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and others.
In August, the FDA warned consumers there is no FDA-approved vaccine or drug to prevent or treat Ebola.
They have also been monitoring fraudulent online claims like these.
We talked to one of the leaders at Young Living who said they only promote and market essential oils and make sure their distributors are in line with the nature of their products.
However, they said eight distributors didn't represent the truth on their websites.
"We want to make sure that everyone that is sharing this story of Young Living and talking about our products, that they're doing so in a manner that is consistent with FDA regulations," Young Living COO Travis Young said. "Sometimes people might step outside of those bounds and when that happens, we talk to them, we bring them back in line."
The letters the FDA sent to the companies state they have 15 days to respond to the violations and make changes.
If not, the companies could face charges.
MORE: FDA warning letters to Young Living and dōTERRA International, LLC
