The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has taken legal action against the manufacturers of Sobrenix supplement, who made deceptive claims about the supplement's ability to reduce alcohol cravings and utilized fraudulent endorsements. As part of the proposed order, the companies are prohibited from making substance-abuse claims without substantiated evidence and are obligated to pay $650,000 for consumer refunds.
“We will not tire in our pursuit of those who prey on individuals struggling with alcohol or other substance use disorders,” Samuel Levine, director of the FTC’s Bureau of Consumer Protection, said in an FTC news release this week.
Sobrenix is marketed to reduce and eliminate alcohol cravings and consumption, the release said. The company Rejuvica and its owners, Kyle Armstrong and Kyle Dilger, allegedly made false and unsubstantiated claims about Sobrenix using paid endorsers in misleading advertisements and creating fake review sites to deceive consumers.
The complaint alleged Rejuvica and its owners lacked adequate evidence to support their claims and highlighted false assertions about Sobrenix's ability to reduce alcohol cravings and consumption, the release reported. In response to the FTC's lawsuit, the defendants have agreed to a proposed court order that permanently bans them from making unsubstantiated health care product claims and requires them to pay $650,000 in refunds to consumers.
Under the proposed court order, the defendants will be prohibited from making any claims about food, drugs or dietary supplements' abilities to cure or treat diseases, including helping with alcohol addiction, unless they are backed by reliable scientific evidence; the release said. They will also be banned from misrepresenting scientific test or study results and falsely portraying paid advertisements as legitimate news coverage. All paid endorsements must be disclosed as such.
The proposed order also includes a total monetary judgment of $3,247,737, partially suspended due to the defendants' inability to pay the full amount, with $650,000 to be refunded to consumers, the release said. The full judgment will be immediately due if the defendants are found to have lied to the FTC about their financial status.
The FTC filed the complaint and proposed order in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California, according to the release. The FTC staff attorneys handling the matter were Courtney Estep and Shira Modell of the commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection. The commission takes action when it believes defendants are violating or about to violate the law and the proceeding is in the public interest.
