Sweeping Change At FTC May Sweep Away RCT Standard For Health Claims

Confirmations by the Senate mark FTC ’s first-ever complete leadership turnover at once and fill out the roster for the first time since President Trump’s election in 2016. The agency has been operating with two commissioners since soon after the election.

A new slate of commissioners is likely to shift the Federal Trade Commission away from requiring randomized controlled trials for health claims substantiation toward a standard more agreeable to nutritional and personal care product manufacturers.

The Senate on April 26 confirmed Joseph Simons, an antitrust attorney currently a partner at Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton &...