Deceptive Practices by Connecticut Supplement Companies Raise Liability Concerns

Recent news headlines show three Connecticut companies are in hot water after the state’s Attorney General has found them engaging in deceptive trade practices to lure consumers to purchase their weight loss supplements. The three Branford, Conn. companies’ sales and marketing tactics are claimed to have violated federal and state laws. The products consumers should be on the lookout for include NutraSlim, NutraSlim with HCA, QuickDetox, SlimFuel, LeanSpa, LeanSpa with Acai, LeanSpa with HCA, and LeanSpa Cleanse.

“Left unchecked, unfair and deceptive trade practices can cause substantial injury to consumers. We are pleased to take action to address these alleged practices,” said Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen.

The companies’, LeanSpa LLC, NutraSlim LLC and NutraSlim U.K. Ltd., sales strategies were mainly based on the Internet to market their weight loss and colon cleanse products. They used fake news and consumer testimonials on their websites and engaged in deceptive financial practices that charged consumers when they should have been getting free trials or refunds. These companies took in excess of $25 million and consumers made more than 1,000 complaints to the FTC, Better Business Bureau, and the Connecticut Attorney General’s office.

Companies that sell weight loss products can pose great dangers to consumers if they engage in deceptive practices or do not have products that are compliant with FDA statutes and regulations. For example, the FDA recently sent out a warning that 20 weight loss supplements and pills being sold in the U.S. had the dangerous ingredient sibutramine. Ingredients that can have side effects or interact badly with other medicines have been shown to cause serious injuries and wrongful deaths. Misbranded or adulterated supplements and ingredients that have not been researched can also cause harm. The FDA shows that adverse events include strokes, pulmonary embolisms, acute liver injury, kidney failure, and death when manufacturers let tainted products get into the marketplace.

The FDA also inspects supplement manufacturers to make sure they are compliant with
Good Manufacturing Practice requirements. Controls should be in place to make sure that supplements are processed consistently and a manufacturer should have strong standards in place when working with suppliers to verify and test incoming ingredients for any tampering.

Supplement manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that their products are safe and will be effective when consumers use them as described on the label. Otherwise, they can be liable for harm done to an individual that is suffering from their negligence or carelessness.

Alexandra Reed writes for Connecticut personal injury law firm, Stratton Faxon. Contact Stratton Faxon to speak with a Connecticut accident lawyer about your personal injury, wrongful death, or Connecticut malpractice case. To learn more, visit Strattonfaxon.com.

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