Pfizer agrees to drop breast and colon health claims on Centrum supplements

By Elaine Watson

- Last updated on GMT

Related tags Multivitamin

Pfizer agrees to drop selected claims on Centrum supplements
Pfizer has agreed remove claims about breast and colon health on ads and labels for its top-selling Centrum multivitamins as part of a deal with health advocacy group the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI).

As a result, the CSPI will not now take legal action against the healthcare giant, said the CSPI, which had threatened to sue if Pfizer did not amend its claims.

Centrum Ultra Women’s and Centrum Silver Women’s multivitamin supplements are claimed to support breast health, while Centrum Ultra Men’s and Centrum Silver Ultra Men’s are claimed to support colon health.

But such claims imply that the supplements might prevent breast and colon cancer, and are in effect unauthorized disease prevention claims, argued CSPI litigation director Steve Gardner.

“Supplement manufacturers must not mislead consumers into thinking that these pills will help ward off cancer.”  

Pfizer: Happy to work collaboratively with CSPI to resolve matter

In a letter to the CSPI from law firm Patton Boggs on behalf of Pfizer, Stuart Pape, a partner at Patton Boggs, rejected Gardner's analysis: “As you know from our discussions, Pfizer denies CSPI’s allegations and the changes Pfizer has agreed to make do not constitute an admission.”

However, Pfizer was happy to “work collaboratively with CSPI to resolve this matter​” and agreed to discontinue the breast and colon health claims, said Cape.

It has also agreed that Centrum supplements bearing heart health claims will include wording clarifying that they are “not a replacement for cholesterol-lowering drugs​”, he said.

Meanwhile, supplements bearing an energy claim will in future include language clarifying that they do not directly provide an energy boost, but rather help support metabolic function, he added.

Pfizer has agreed to amend its web sites and ads by early August and to amend product labels over the next six months.

CSPI: 'Pleased with the collaborative spirit with which Pfizer was willing to discuss our concerns’

“Although Pfizer disagrees with our position, we are pleased with the collaborative spirit with which Pfizer was willing to discuss our concerns and resolve them without resorting to litigation”, ​said Gardner.

Pfizer Consumer Healthcare is among the largest over-the-counter health care companies in the world with a global footprint in more than 90 countries.

The CSPI is a nonprofit health advocacy group based in Washington DC.

Related news

Show more

Related products

show more

LocVita® D3: Tailored Formulas & Beadlet Solutions

LocVita® D3: Tailored Formulas & Beadlet Solutions

Content provided by INNOBIO Corporation Limited | 11-Mar-2024 | White Paper

LocVita® Vegan Vitamin D3 delivers specially formulated options that are sugar-free and organic, designed to accommodate various dietary preferences and...

MOROSIL:INGREDIENT OF THE YEAR

MOROSIL:INGREDIENT OF THE YEAR

Content provided by BIONAP BIOACTIVE NATURAL PRODUCTS | 07-Mar-2024 | Product Brochure

MOROSIL™ has won as Ingredient of the Year in the category Weight Management at 2023 Nutraingredient USA. MOROSIL ™ is a standardized extract derived from...

Related suppliers

Follow us

Products

View more

Webinars