FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  January 11, 1990

      FTC CHARGES THAT WEIGHT LOSS CLAIMS FOR "FAT-MAGNET"
    DIET PILLS ARE FALSE, SEEKS INJUNCTION, CONSUMER REDRESS

     The Federal Trade Commission has charged that advertising
claims that Fat-Magnet diet pills will help users lose weight
without dieting or exercise are false and misleading.  A federal
court has issued a temporary restraining order putting an immediate
stop to such claims and freezing the assets of two companies.

     The Commission's complaint charges the defendants with making
false and unsubstantiated advertising claims.  The complaint asks
the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, in
Los Angeles, to issue preliminary and permanent injunctions and to
order defendants to pay consumer redress.

     The complaint alleges that in newspaper ads, the defendants
claimed that the Fat-Magnet pill "breaks into thousands of
particles, each acting like a tiny magnet, 'attracting' and
trapping many times its size in undigested fat particles.  Then,
the trapped fat is naturally 'flushed' right out of your body
'before' it has a chance to become ugly bulging fat."  The ads also
said, "The Fat-Magnet pills alone 'automatically' help you reduce
calories by eliminating fat, with no special diet menus to follow,
no rigid calorie counting, and no exercising," and that they are
"100% safe."

     The complaint charges, however, that Fat-Magnet:

     --   does not cause a perceptible loss of weight or fat;

     --   will not significantly contribute to the weight loss
          effects of dieting or exercising; and

     --   is not "100%" safe, and in fact can cause physical harm
          to some consumers.

     The defendants do not have a reasonable basis for the ad
claims, the FTC charges.

                             (More)
he complaint names Allied International Corp., which does
business as Fat-Magnet, and its president, Harold Martino; Linder
Ad-Vantage Inc., the product's advertising agency; Milton Linder,
an officer of both companies; Eric Linder, president of Ad-Vantage;
and William E. Shell, M.D., the purported inventor of Fat-Magnet
who provides "expert" endorsements for it.

     The investigation was handled by the FTC's New York and Los
Angeles Regional Offices, which received assistance from the U.S.
Postal Service, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the
Attorneys General of California, Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Iowa,
Missouri, Texas, West Virginia and Vermont, the California Food and
Drug Administration and the Colorado Department of Health.

     NOTE:  The Commission files a complaint when it has "reason
to believe" that the law has been or is being violated, and it
appears to the Commission that a proceeding is in the public
interest.  The complaint is not a finding or ruling that the
defendant has actually violated the law.  The case will be decided
by the court.  

     Copies of the complaint will be available shortly from the
FTC's Public Reference Branch, Room 130, 6th St. and Pennsylvania
Ave. N.W., Washington, D.C. 20580; 202-326-2222; TTY 202-326-2502.

                              # # #

MEDIA CONTACT:      Brenda A. Mack, Office of Public Affairs,
                    202-326-2182

STAFF CONTACT:      Thomas Syta, Los Angeles Regional
                    Office, 213-209-7879
          
                    Rhonda J. McLean, New York Regional Office,
                    212-264-1225

(Civil Action No. 90 0120 CBM(kx)

(FTC File No. 882-3020)

(FatMag)