Hello Sellers!
I am back to go over another restricted product policy violation example, so we can better understand what caused the item to be flagged and what options are available to get it resolved.
Previously I discussed violations surrounding pesticides, today I would like to discuss disease claims on your listings and when they become violations.
HAQM prohibits the sale of products that imply or claim to diagnose, cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent diseases in humans or animals without FDA approval. Claiming an effect on a disease is a very common reason restricted product violations occur.
A statement is a disease claim if it mentions a specific disease or class of diseases. For example…
- "reduces the pain and stiffness associated with arthritis"
- “treats anxiety symptoms”
Additional examples of a disease claim can be an implication that the product can have an effect on a specific disease or class of diseases. This can happen by using descriptions of the disease state. Such as…
- “improves joint mobility and reduces inflammation (rheumatoid arthritis)”
- "relief of bronchospasm (asthma)"
Let’s review an example together:
I list an aroma therapy candle and my listing is restricted due to unapproved medical/disease claims.
Typically, a candle should have nothing to do with mention of diseases or medical conditions, so I proceed to review the verbiage in my listing to understand the reason it was flagged under this policy.
Upon review, I find phrases such as, “reduces stress and anxiety” and “calms anxiety symptoms” within my description and bullet points.
This confirms that I am using prohibited medical/disease claims in my listing without proper FDA approval.
To address this violation successfully, I must edit my listing to remove the prohibited claims then submit an appeal for the ASIN to be reviewed for compliance.
Please note: If the disease claims are located on the product or its packaging and you are unable to obtain the proper FDA registration, it will not be possible to reinstate that ASIN. If this is your situation, creating a new ASIN will be required. Please ensure that all listing attributes are correct and do not make any prohibited disease claims.
I suggest to review the prohibited product claims help page for more in-depth information about this policy. It also contains very helpful links to research the requirements for medical/disease claims.
I hope this information has been helpful. If you have any examples of a restricted product topic you would like to review, please share it here in this thread so we can take a look.
Happy Selling!
LeviDylan