A cottage industry of fake and ineffective COVID-19 treatments and cures has spread in recent weeks, including air purifiers, vitamins, and even bleach. None of these treatments prevent or cure the disease, according to the World Health Organization.

The Federal Trade Commission and the US Food and Drug Administration announced Monday that seven companies selling “scam” coronavirus treatments had been threatened with seizure and legal action.

"The FTC says the companies have no evidence to back up their claims — as required by law,” the announcement said. “The FDA says there are no approved vaccines, drugs or investigational products currently available to treat or prevent the virus."

Named in the complaint was The Jim Bakker Show, the program belonging to the Christian televangelist who rose to fame in the ’70s and fell from grace after a fraud conviction and sex scandal. After five years in prison, he resumed hosting his television show on the PTL Satellite Network in 2003. Bakker’s show promotes sales of “Silver Solution,” also known as colloidal silver, alongside vitamins, food rations, and heritage seeds.

The Jim Bakker Show did not respond to requests for comment from BuzzFeed News.

"Well let’s say it hasn’t been tested on this strain of the coronavirus, but it’s been tested on other strains of the coronavirus, and has been able to eliminate it within 12 hours, totally eliminate it, kills it, deactivates it,” said a guest on the show, naturopathic practitioner Sherrill Sellman. (The show's website took down its archived version of the episode, which ran Feb. 12.)



A 16 oz bottle of Silver Solution costs $40.00 on the show's website.