Review board rules against Osteo-Bi Flex ad claims

NEW YORK NBTY lost its appeal to The National Advertising Review Board, the board announced Monday, which recommended that the company discontinue use of “Double Strength” and “Triple Strength” descriptors on Osteo-Bi Flex product packaging and in other advertising unless those terms are qualified to indicate that they refer to the level of key ingredients in each individual caplet and does not imply greater product performance or efficacy.

The appeal originated from a monitoring case opened by the National Advertising Division of the Council of Better Business Bureaus. As part of NAD’s routine monitoring program, NAD requested substantiation for certain claims made by Rexall Sundown (owned by NBTY) for its Osteo Bi-Flex dietary supplement.

The panel also recommends that Rexall remove its claims that the Boswellia serrata extract in 5-LOXIN is 10 times more concentrated than typical Boswellia serrata extracts unless those claims are presented in a context that does not imply that the increased concentration results in increased product performance or efficacy.