Several news outlets reported this week on the huge price jump in the cost of a generic drug: Turing Pharmaceuticals increased the cost of the drug Daraprim more than 4n000 percent, from $13.50 a tablet to $750, overnight. See stories here and here. The prices of numerous generic drugs have risen sharply over the past […]
Author Archives: Allison Zieve
A Washington Post online story today discusses the Federal Trade Commission's opposition to proposed amendments to the Electronic Communications Privacy Act: By now, Americans are all too familiar with the ways hackers can gain unauthorized entry into their personal accounts online. But did you know that the government can currently seize many of your e-mails without even […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau on Monday obtained a preliminary injunction against World Law Group and its senior leaders for running a debt-relief scheme that the CFPB alleged charged consumers exorbitant, illegal upfront fees. The CFPB alleges the debt-relief scheme falsely promised consumers a team of attorneys to help negotiate debt settlements with creditors, failed […]
The Hill reports: The Obama administration on Monday announced a tweak to the federal financial aid program that one official said would help “literally hundreds of thousands” of students each year. Obama and Education Secretary Arne Duncan will formally announce the change at a town hall meeting in Iowa, where they will meet with high […]
The Food and Drug Administration has released rules that will require U.S. food manufacturers to make detailed plans to identify and prevent possible contamination risks in food production facilities. As the Washington Post reports, "[t]he new regulations, which will apply to the production of both human and animal foods, mark the first step in a broader effort […]
The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau announced yesterday: Today the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) took action against the nation’s two largest debt buyers and collectors for using deceptive tactics to collect bad debts. The Bureau found that Encore Capital Group and Portfolio Recovery Associates bought debts that were potentially inaccurate, lacking documentation, or unenforceable. Without […]
Below are recent announcements about the work of the Department of Justice Consumer Protection Branch: September 3, 2015 – Genzyme Corporation to Pay $32.5 Million to Resolve Criminal Liability Relating to Seprafilm August 27, 2015 – Peruvian Man Charged with Leading Conspiracy to Defraud and Extort Spanish-Speaking Consumers through Call Centers August 17, 2015 – […]
A California-based online entertainment network has agreed to settle Federal Trade Commission charges that it engaged in deceptive advertising by paying “influencers” to post YouTube videos endorsing Microsoft’s Xbox One system and several games. The influencers paid by Machinima, Inc., failed to adequately disclose that they were being paid for their seemingly objective opinions, the […]
The Federal Trade Commission has conducted a survey, following up on a December 2012 survey, examining what information children’s app developers are collecting from users, whom they are sharing it with, and what disclosures they are providing to parents about their practices. The findings will be announced in a series of blog posts. Here is […]
The Hill Reports that Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) and Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) are pressuring automaker Fiat Chrysler to support a bill that would ban car rental companies from distributing recalled vehicles. Fiat Chrysler was recently fined $105 million by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for allegedly failing to properly notify drivers, car dealerships and […]