It’s extremely important that manufacturers and sellers of “supplements” must not only make sure they are safe, but also make sure the supplements will do what they are marketed to do. The makers of several glucosamine-based supplements have agreed to pay $3.1 million to settle a proposed class action in that was filed in a California federal court accusing them of misleading consumers about the products’ supposed joint health benefits despite myriad scientific evidence disputing those claims. The settlement allows members of the proposed class to be reimbursed up to $100 for bottles included in the Wellesse Joint Movement Glucosamine product line. It requires Wellesse makers Botanical Laboratories Inc. and Schwabe North America Inc. to remove allegedly misleading language from the products’ labels and advertising for three years after the settlement’s effective date, according to a joint motion filed with the court.
The complaint alleged that the companies’ allegedly misleading advertising campaigns and product labeling by the companies fraudulently induced thousands of consumers into purchasing the products. It was alleged that clinical studies of glucosamine hydrochloride and chondroitin sulfate, key ingredients in the supplements, have demonstrated that these agents have no scientific value in the treatment of joint pain or discomfort.
