FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:  October 3, 1989


              FTC CITES FALSE CLAIMS FOR PURPORTED 
                "IN-HOME" AIDS DIAGNOSTIC TEST; 
              COURT-FILED JUDGMENTS SETTLE CHARGES



     The Federal Trade Commission has charged that the three
former officers of T.B.A. Inc. falsely claimed to prospective
distributors and consumers alike that their "Medico" in-home
"AIDS test" could diagnose AIDS.  The defendants agreed to
settle the charges and pay refunds to distributors and consumers,
under consent judgments filed in federal court.

     The Commission's complaint charges that the defendants
claimed their in-home AIDS test could detect the AIDS virus,
representing that the test had a physiological or chemical
basis. The complaint further charges that these representations
were false because the test was only a written lifestyle ques-
tionnaire, and "incapable of accurately detecting the presence of
the AIDS virus."  

     The complaint also charges that the defendants falsely rep-
resented that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had approved
the test and that the U.S. Surgeon General had stated that
everyone in the United States should be tested for the AIDS
virus.

     In addition, the complaint charges that the defendants mis-
represented the amount of money Medico distributors could earn
from their distributorships.  The complaint further alleges that
the defendants had no reasonable basis or substantiation for the
advertising claims for the test or for the earnings claims for
distributors.

     Under the consent judgments, the three individuals will pay
a total of $62,000 in redress.  The Commission will use this
money to pay refunds to those who bought distributorships and/or
the Medico AIDS test. 


                             (More)

     The three defendants, David A. Feiler, Margaret Martella,
and Arte Azenzer, were officers and directors of T.B.A Inc.,
which did business under the name Medico Inc. before going out of
business in 1988.  Under separate consent judgments, they agreed
not to misrepresent:

     -    the nature or ability of any product, test, service,
          or procedure represented to diagnose the existence of
          any disease, medical condition or physical condition,
          including AIDS;

     --   the approval by any government agency, including the
          Food and Drug Administration, of any product, service,
          test, or procedure;

     --   the recommendation or advice of any government offi-
          cial, including the Surgeon General; and

     --   the likelihood of success or the profitability of any
          distributorship, franchise, or business venture.

     The complaint and the stipulated final orders and judgments
were filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Nevada. 
The FTC's San Francisco Regional Office handled the investiga-
tion.

     Consent judgments are for settlement purposes only and do
not constitute an admission of a law violation, although consent
decrees have the force of law.

     Copies of the complaints and orders will be available soon
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:      Susan Ticknor, Office of Public Affairs, 
                    202-326-2181

STAFF CONTACT:      Jeffrey A. Klurfeld, San Francisco Regional
                    Office, 415-995-5220


Civil No. CV-S-89-713-HDM (LRL) D. Nev.

(Medico)