Congress Probes Wyeth Vitamin Claims
6 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // September 12th, 2008 // 7:40 pm
Two House Democrats are investigating advertising claims by Wyeth that promote its Centrum Cardio vitamin as a cholesterol-lowering product. The inquiry is part of an ongoing investigation of direct-to-consumer advertising for pharmaceutical products by the House Energy & Commerce Committee and its Oversight and Investigations subcommitee.
John Dingell and Bart Stupak, both of Michigan, are seeking related documents following TV ads touting the vitamin as “the only complete multivitamin that can lower cholesterol,” according to a letter sent Wyeth ceo Bernard Poussot. (The letter is not yet available on the committee web site, but we were sent a text copy by e-mail).
Centrum Cardio is advertised as the “First and only complete multivitamin that lowers cholesterol,” and a TV commercial claims Centrum Cardio is “the only complete multivitamin that can lower cholesterol,” the letter states. Moreover, Wyeth’s web site indicates that users of Centrum Cardio can “Lower Cholesterol within a Month!” with “a natural ingredient derived from soybeans that blocks cholesterol absorption & significantly lowers bad (LDL) cholesterol.”
“We are concerned that these statements may be misleading to the general public and that patients with high cholesterol may erroneously substitute Centrum Cardio for a treatment plan prescribed by their physician,” the congressmen write Poussot.
Wyeth’s web site cites an interim FDA rule from 2000 that allows dietary supplements or foods that provide of 800 milligrams of free phytosterols to claim a possible reduction in heart disease. A daily dose of Centrum Cardio, which would be two 2 tablets, contains 800 milligrams of phytosterols (look at the very bottom of the web site for the small print).
UPDATE: A Wyeth spokesman writes us with this statement: “Wyeth Consumer Healthcare supports Centrum Cardio as an important multivitamin and the science of phytosterols. Wyeth will cooperate with the requests made by House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Dingell and House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations Chairman Stupak.”
Paul G
How about probing all the claims made by nutraceuticals and all the junk hawked on television. Have you seen the claims these people make? And those products have zero government controls on what’s in them.
I am amazed (actually I am not surprised) that congress goes only after a named pharma company and does nothing about the 99% of the vitamin and supplement market that touts everything from weight-loss to miraculous cancer cures. That is not only bad healthcare policy but also fraud.
Justice in Michigan
Paul G. - For once, I entirely agree with you. The “supplement” industry has had staunch protectors in Congress, especially Orin Hatch (many cos. are based in Utah). A few are owned by pharma, so there we’re talking about the same industry.
It may or may not surprise you that those who have fought hardest for preemption (Washington Legal Foundation, for example) have also fought hardest against greater regulation of the supplement biz.
Your words: “That is not only bad healthcare policy but also fraud.” Amen.
Justice in Michigan
As an example of “same industry” point, the story Ed posted is about a Wyeth product.
Paul G
Thanks Justice.
I believe, maybe in a naive way, that there is more in common than not between bloggers here. We all want the same thing in the end, just that we all look at things from a different angle, and with different data or beliefs. I am as much against the extremist naysayers as I am against the pharma evalengelists. The truth and the answer is somewhere in the middle.
Justice in Michigan
Amen to that! Whatever the truth is, it will be richer and more useful the more different perspectives it takes seriously.
harpy
That’s not exactly true. The founder of the company that sells Enzyte, the “male enhancement” supplement, was recently sentenced to 25 years in jail and ordered to pay a lot of money for various claims. Airborne also settled a false claims case recently. So they don’t get away scot-free.