Two brands of dietary supplements fined UAH 6.3 million for deceiving customers
19 December 2024 06:18
The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) has fined Universe Pharm LLC and Queisser Pharma Ukraine LLC a total of UAH 6.3 million for violating the legislation on protection against unfair competition. The reason was false statements on the packaging of their dietary supplements that misled consumers. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the AMCU.
In the process of considering the cases, the AMCU found that:
Universe Pharm LLC, the manufacturer of the Venovital dietary supplement, disseminated inaccurate information on the product packaging. In particular, the following statements were made:
“promotes complex action of vascular support; improvement of venous and lymphatic blood outflow; strengthening of vascular walls”; “modern venotonic”; “combined venotonic”; “helps to normalize vein tone, improve microcirculation, strengthens the vascular wall and increases its tone, helps to reduce permeability and fragility of capillaries, improve lymphatic drainage and lymphatic outflow“.
Queisser Pharma Ukraine LLC, an importer of the dietary supplement Doppelgerts® Active Omega-3 Clean Vessels, also disseminated false statements, in particular:
“helps to restore elasticity and patency of blood vessels”, “helps to lower blood cholesterol”, “reduces the risk of blood clots”.
The AMCU’s surveys revealed that such information on the packaging may give consumers the impression that these products have medicinal properties. This, in turn, affects the decision to purchase them.
Lack of evidence
UNIVERSE PHARM and QUAISSER PHARMA UKRAINE did not provide sufficient evidence to support the claimed properties of their dietary supplements. Given the specifics of the products’ composition, these claims were found to be unfounded.
The Committee also found that by disseminating false information about the properties on the packaging of these dietary supplements, their manufacturers may strengthen their competitive position and negatively affect competition in the related market – the market of medicines.
The AMC believes that dissemination of false information contributes to gaining unfair market advantages. This may have a negative impact on competition, in particular, with respect to manufacturers of medicines with similar active ingredients, such as diosmin or fish oil.
Based on the results of the investigation, the AMC imposed fines:
- On UNIVERSE PHARM LLC – for false statements about VENOVITAL.
- On Queisser Pharma Ukraine LLC – for information about Doppelgerts® Active Omega-3 Clean Vessels.
The total fine amounted to UAH 6,356,903. The companies are obliged to cease violations and remove false information from product packaging.
The Antimonopoly Committee continues to monitor compliance with the legislation on protection against unfair competition. Its goal is to prevent such violations and protect consumer rights and fair competition in the dietary supplements market.
