Seasilver Agrees to Halt Cure-All Health Claims

Two Southern California companies have agreed to stop claiming their liquid supplement called Seasilver can cure more than 650 diseases including cancer, diabetes and AIDS, federal regulators said Wednesday.

The companies, Seasilver USA Inc. and Americaloe Inc., both based in Carlsbad, signed a consent decree with regulators, who said the disease-fighting claims were unsubstantiated.

“The claims for Seasilver threatened consumers’ health by encouraging delays and replacements for proven treatments,” said Howard Beales, director of the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, in a statement.

Seasilver USA said on its website that it agreed “any health-related claims must be supported by strict scientific evidence.”

The company will continue to sell Seasilver without the claims to which the government objected, said Michael Dershowitz, the company’s chief compliance officer. The product is a dietary supplement that contains seaweed, aloe vera and other natural ingredients, he said.

“We believe it promotes general good health and well-being,” Dershowitz said.

The company said the agreement with regulators “does not constitute an admission that the company violated the law.”

Under the consent decree, the Food and Drug Administration can order the companies to stop selling and to recall any products that violate the law, the agency said.

Dershowitz said the firms had cooperated with the government agencies since June, when U.S. marshals seized $5.3 million of Seasilver at the FDA’s request.

Americaloe, which has the same owners as Seasilver USA, is not currently operating, Dershowitz said.