Bayer Healthcare’s claim that its One-A-Day vitamins for men reduce the risk of prostate cancer may lead to the company facing a lawsuit from a consumer advocacy group, The Associated Press reported.
The company’s ubiquitous TV and radio ads misleadingly claim that a key ingredient of One-A-Day Men’s Health Formula and 50+ Advantage helps prevent cancer, according to the Center for Science in the Public Interest.
The National Institutes of Health backed a study that found no evidence the ingredient selenium prevents prostate cancer in men, the group said.
David Schardt, the group’s senior nutritionist, said the largest prostate cancer prevention trial has found that selenium is no more effective than a placebo.
“Bayer is ripping people off when it suggests otherwise in these dishonest ads,” he added.
The group noted that last October, medical researchers stopped a study of 35,000 men after it became clear that selenium did not prevent prostate cancer.
However, Bayer said on Thursday that the Food and Drug Administration had approved the claims on its vitamins.
Bayer spokeswoman Trisch McKernan said the company stands behind all claims made in support of its products.
Bayer’s annual report showed that its One-A-Day brand of vitamins had sales of $191 million last year.
Regulators at the Federal Trade Commission were also asked in a letter from the Center for Science in the Public Interest to halt Bayer’s marketing of the vitamins.
Data from VMS advertising monitoring service shows that the German conglomerate has run at least 11 television ads and 9 radio ads suggesting One-A-Day vitamins can help prevent prostate cancer.
The institute’s letter claims Bayer’s advertising violates a 2007 agreement with the FTC requiring the company to back up all claims on One-A-Day vitamins with scientific evidence. The agreement came after Bayer was forced to pay a $3.2 million penalty to settle claims that its advertising for its vitamins misled the public about the weight loss benefits.
However, the agency has not yet received the group’s letter, an FTC spokeswoman said Thursday.
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