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Recalls & Warnings
ConsumerLab.com is keeping you informed with current product recalls and warnings.
Posted November 28, 2006
FTC Targets Seller of Pills Promoted for Height, Weight, and Bone Improvement
The operation advertised HeightMax dietary supplements in English and Spanish on the Internet and radio. Ads also appeared in the back pages of magazines such as Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and Maxim. The FTC complaint charged that claims for the pills were unsubstantiated or false and that the defendants invented William Thomson, a supposed expert who appeared in the ads. According to the complaint, the ads for HeightMax Concentrate and HeightMax Plus misrepresented that:
- HeightMax increases height in users ages 12-25 over what they would achieve without the product;
- HeightMax causes users to grow an additional 2 to 3 inches in 6 months;
- Clinical tests prove that: HeightMax increases the height of teenagers and young adults; and Regular use of HeightMax for 6 months causes a 10% to 25% gain in height, and use for more than a year causes a 20% to 35% gain in height;
- HeightMax increases lean body mass and reduces body fat in users ages 12-25; and William Thomson, an expert with a Ph.D. in Biochemistry, created HeightMax after years of research and clinical trials.
The FTC complaint also alleged that the defendants made unsubstantiated or false claims for Liposan Ultra Chitosan Fat Blocker, a weight loss supplement, and Osteo-Vite, marketed to older consumers for bone-building.
To settle the charges, defendants Sunny Health Nutrition Technology & Products, Inc. and its owner, Sunny Sia, will pay $375,000 in consumer redress. The settlement also holds the defendants potentially liable for $1.9 million in the event that they misrepresented their finances. The order to settle the FTC’s charges requires that claims for any dietary supplement, food, or drug must be true, non-misleading, and substantiated. In addition, it prohibits the defendants from misrepresenting endorsements, including the existence or expertise of any endorser.
Report a Problem
If you have experienced an unexpected and adverse reaction to a dietary supplement, nutritional product, or generic drug, we would like to hear about it, as we may investigate the problem. Please select from one of these options:
Dietary Supplement or Nutritional Product Problem Report
If you believe that a dietary supplement (e.g., vitamin, mineral, or herbal supplement) or other nutritional product has caused an unexpected, adverse reaction, we would like to know about it. We are collecting and organizing this information and may publish it. We might test the product in the future. You may also want to report the problem to the U.S. FDA through their Safety Reporting Portal at https://www.safetyreporting.hhs.gov.
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Generic Drug Problem Report
If you believe that a generic drug has not acted like the original drug, we would like to know about it. We are collecting and organizing this information and may publish it. We might test the product in the future. You may also want to report the problem to the U.S. FDA through their MedWatch program at the FDA MedWatch website.
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