The Federal Trade Commission has announced:
The marketers of a dietary supplement called Procera AVH will relinquish $1.4 million under settlements resolving Federal Trade Commission charges that they deceived consumers with claims that the supplement was clinically proven to significantly improve memory, mood, and other cognitive functions.
Under the terms of the settlements, the defendants will pay $1 million to the FTC, and another $400,000 to satisfy a judgment in a case brought by local California law enforcement officials. They also will be barred from making similar deceptive claims in the future and from misrepresenting the existence, results, or conclusions of any scientific study.
“The defendants in this case couldn’t back up their claims that Procera AVH would reverse age-related mental decline and memory loss," said Jessica Rich, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. “Be skeptical of ads promising quick and easy cures.”
According to the FTC’s complaint, the defendants marketed and sold Procera AVH as a “solution” to memory loss and cognitive decline, including as associated with aging. The defendants advertised the product using infomercials, direct mail flyers, newspapers, and the Internet.
The FTC's full press release is here.
