How The Mighty Have Fallen. . . Part Two: Fred Hassan Founder & Chairman Of (Wait For It. . .) A "Peppermint Oil" Company

As ever, picture is worth 1,000 words -- so I offer one, at right. And, still no clinical trial proving his delivery system provides any real world benefit over a drop or two on the tongue. [I just checked again this morning.] So, the $25 for about two weeks of supply. . . is in my opinion -- outrageous. From my earlier piece -- in June of 2014, then:

Of course. . . not all homeopathic remedies are without merit. Far from it. Some are as effective as FDA approved drugs, at a fraction of the cost. And there is some research suggesting that peppermint oils (properly delivered) might calm upset stomachs. [But I'll flat out guarantee you there is no peer reviewed research of any kind -- showing that Fred Hassan's delivery system here -- micro-beaded capsules -- actually achieves any positive clinical outcomes, beyond that of a few pennies a dose, in the form of a drop or two of ordinary peppermint oil, on the tongue. If he had it -- he'd tout it, to the high heavens! Trust that.]

So, what is truly beyond the pale, here -- in my opinion -- is the price ($25 for 48 capsules!?!), and the pseudo-science in which "Fast Fred" drapes his latest "medical food" -- actually something more akin to a nutri-ceutical, if the truth be told. But FDA is taking a hard look at nutri-ceuticals. Fast Fred is likely trying to "fly under the radar," here -- by calling it a medical food.

I might ask Fred "How many foods require that they be consumed ONLY under a doctor's close supervision?" Doesn't that contradict the idea of GRAS? How is that "generally recognized as safe"? An overdose of purified, concentrated menthol in the gut can lead to several serious side effects. No mention of those, on this slap-dash website.

As I say -- this is quite a come-down for Mr. Hassan -- yet, it does give us a very clear window, to where his head has always been: snagging the hucksters' fast buck -- then moving on, when the regulators show up. And show up, they will. [My guess is that his former GC, Sabatino, helped him get it on the shelves at Walgreens. But that's just. . . a guess. And now, Sabatino has moved on to. . . Hertz, anyway. Revolving doors. . . .]

Note that Mr. Hassan is listed (by a laughingly-inane asterisk) as the "non-executive" chairman of this joint. I am sure the others associated with this company, genuinely want to help patients. They have simply put their careers in the hands of the wrong "expert" here. Mark my words, Fred will slip away, saying he had no real responsibility for any regulatory matter, when the FDA shows up for a site visit. His openly making of a medical claim (without accompanying proof, of any kind) in the below YouTube "infomercial" (this is truly priceless -- so amateurish!) just gave FDA clear jurisdiction, trust that. [See it, at about 1:21 onward. . . in the video.] Fred is likely telling IBGard staffers that FDA has no right to come in and tell "us folks" what to do. He is just mistaken about that, in my experienced opinion.



So it goes. Pretty. . . hilarious!