Mehmet Oz, the superstar physician named to supervise Medicare within the Trump administration, posted on-line endorsements of natural merchandise that threaten to run afoul of US advertising guidelines, in accordance with a well being watchdog.
Oz often touted merchandise from iHerb, a complement firm, in posts on X and different social media websites, with out prominently noting his place as a paid adviser, in accordance with a letter from Public Citizen. The nonprofit shopper advocacy group urged the Bureau of Client Safety to research whether or not Oz violated Federal Commerce Fee guidelines for influencer advertising.
Oz didn’t instantly reply to an emailed request for remark.
President-elect Donald Trump’s appointees to run the nation’s well being companies have been assailed by Democratic lawmakers for his or her embrace of unproven medical theories, reminiscent of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s vaccine skepticism. With 3.7 million followers on X and 1.1 million on Instagram, Oz has already come below fireplace for his enthusiastic endorsements of merchandise reminiscent of inexperienced espresso bean extract and raspberry ketone.
Operating the Facilities for Medicare and Medicaid Companies “is a place of belief which, amongst different issues, requires defending taxpayers from fraudsters and scammers,” Robert Weissman, Public Citizen’s co-president, mentioned in an announcement. “If Dr. Oz is careless about honest promoting guidelines himself, can we count on him to crack down on those that would bilk Medicare?”
In frequent posts that point out iHerb, Oz failed to notice that they have been ads and that he’s a stakeholder within the firm, in accordance with Public Citizen. In line with FTC guidelines, endorsement disclosures must be made with each promotion.
Thanksgiving is an ideal excuse for training gratitude — which additionally occurs to be a confirmed approach to cut back stress. You may as well cut back stress with adaptogens like ashwagandha from a trusted supply like @iHerb. Glad Thanksgiving! https://t.co/YhPf8fLbiT
— Dr. Mehmet Oz (@DrOz) November 27, 2024
As head of the CMS, Oz would oversee an company that manages well being look after greater than one-third of People with $1.7 trillion in annual spending. Oz has additionally promoted non-public variations of Medicare, the federal government program for seniors, and invested in firms that promote them.
Oz and his spouse, Lisa, have disclosed holdings in UnitedHealth Group Inc., the most important US well being insurer, of not less than $250,001. The holdings have been disclosed in a type that Oz filed as a part of his candidacy for a Senate seat in Pennsylvania in 2022.
The couple additionally held smaller stakes in CVS Well being Corp. inventory, the mum or dad firm of insurer Aetna, and Cigna Group, in accordance with the disclosure.
These shares suffered in current months because the Biden administration moved to limit funds, stiffening guidelines that restrict reimbursement. Shares together with Humana and CVS additionally fell as CMS diminished high quality rankings, referred to as stars, that decide future funds.
