A government lawsuit seeks to ban a popular memory loss dietary supplement marketed to seniors, saying there’s no scientific evidence to support its claims.
According to a story by the Associated Press, Democratic New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the Federal Trade Commission filed the lawsuit Monday against Madison, Wisconsin-based Quincy Bioscience, maker of Prevagen
The lawsuit seeks a ban on further claims about Prevagen’s effectiveness, refunds for consumers and civil penalties.
Prevagen is sold at major retailers and is advertised as being “clinically shown” to support “clearer thinking” and to “improve memory within 90 days.”
A product description on Amazon.com says, “Prevagen is the leader in brain health according to Nielsen data for the year ending October, 24, 2015. In a large three month double-blind, placebo-controlled study of participants over 40 years old who were experiencing some mild memory problems associated with aging, the Prevagen group significantly improved areas of cognitive function such as short-term memory and recall tasks in subjects.”
Schneiderman says Quincy Bioscience based its claims primarily on a study that failed to show a statistically significant improvement in memory.
Quincy Bioscience says it “vehemently disagrees” with the allegations. It calls the lawsuit an “example of government overreach and regulators extinguishing innovation.”
