NAD admonishes Sure Nature for unsubstantiated Web site claims

NEW YORK The National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus on Wednesday advised Sure Nature to discontinue certain claims the company made in support of its dietary supplement ImmunaSure, specifically, that the product treats or prevents cold sores, or strengthens the immune system.

NAD found two significant problems with the advertising and the substantiation submitted in support of the claims. First, the advertised product is a blend of five botanicals, two of which have been shown to exhibit certain general immune system benefits and one of which has been shown to have an effect on cold sores, when applied topically. Accordingly, NAD found insufficient evidence to support a claim that ImmunaSure “strengthens” the immune system.

Second, the advertising clearly conveyed a message that ImmunaSure is effective in curing and/or preventing cold sores through statements such as “kiss your cold sores goodbye,” a message that is not supported by the evidence in the record.

Sure Nature, in its advertiser’s statement, said the company “accepts NAD’s decision and will take it into consideration in future advertising.”