NAD Recommends Prevention Pharmaceuticals Discontinue Certain Claims for Company’s ‘Omax3 Ultra Pure’ Supplements; Finds Company Can Support Certain Qualified Claims

New York, NY – July 22, 2016 – The National Advertising Division has determined that Prevention Pharmaceuticals, Inc., can support certain qualified claims for the company’s Omax3 Ultra Pure Dietary Supplements. NAD has also recommended the company discontinue a wide range of claims, including market superiority purity, potency and compositional claims.

NAD is an investigative unit of the advertising industry’s system of self-regulation. It is administered by the Council of Better Business Bureaus.

The claims at issue in this inquiry were challenged by Great HealthWorks, Inc., a manufacturer of a competing product, Omega XL dietary supplements.  Great HealthWorks challenged claims that included:

• “Some supplements may contain more than omega-3. And some of that ‘extra’ content you could do without…including … toxins like mercury, lead, and PCBs commonly found in fish.”
• “highest purity levels available”
• “no purer Omega-3 supplement available.”

Following its review of the evidence in the record, NAD determined that the advertiser had provided a reasonable basis for its claim that “Omax3’s exceptional purity is a result of double molecular distillation – a process that takes place in a vacuum and uses no heat and special enzymes … [we] have two certificates for each batch assuring purity and concentration.”  However, NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue the additional language: “… to get rid of unhealthy saturated fats and toxins, such as mercury, lead and PCBs commonly found in fish.”

NAD also determined that the advertiser had also provided a reasonable basis for it claim  “Omax3 Ultra-Pure obtains exceptional purity through a double distillation process …”  but recommended that it discontinue the claim “that eliminates these additional substances.

NAD recommended that the advertiser discontinue the following claims:

• “highest purity levels available”
• “no purer Omega-3 supplement available.”
• “nearly 100% omega-3 content”
• “nearly 100% content”
• “delivers more than 97%” omega-3 fatty acids.”
• “3x independent laboratory tested to be contaminant-free (PCBs, Lead, Mercury).”
• “100% free of contaminants and toxins.”
• “Free from heavy metals, contaminants and fillers.”
• “This is Omax3, the ultra pure omega-3 supplement with maximum potency and purity.”
• “Omax3 Ultra-Pure delivers maximum omega-3 benefits, without harmful impurities.”
• “contaminant-free”
• “Most store bought omega-3s are low in potency, with only 30-60% omega-3 concentration. Omax3 delivers nearly 100% omega-3 content.”
• “Many products have up to 70% unwanted fat and impurities.”
• “Omax3 is the most concentrated omega-3 available. Most fish-oil/omega-3 supplements only contain 30-60% omega-3.”
• “Some supplements may contain more than omega-3. And some of that ‘extra’ content you could do without, such as saturated fats, including unwanted omega-6 fatty acids…”
• “Omax3 Ultra-Pure delivers … greater value.”
• “highest purity levels available”
• “no purer Omega-3 supplement available;””
• “Some supplements may contain more than omega-3. And some of that ‘extra’ content you could do without…including … toxins like mercury, lead, and PCBs commonly found in fish.”
• “and unlike other fish oils, Omax3 will not raise low-density lipoproteins (LDL)”;
• “while most fish oil products can help with blood lipids, Omax3 has been shown to help people with LDL, something other fish oil products don’t”; and
• “a study showed that Omax3 given to patients with normal blood lipids actually reduced overall cholesterol, reduced triglycerides, reduced LDL, which is the bad cholesterol. And by reducing LDL cholesterol, this is a big deal for a fish oil because most fish oils may actually increase your LDL cholesterol.”
• “Ranked best omega-3 to stop inflammation.”
• “There are many fish-oils on the market, but only Omax3 contains the revolutionary 4:1 ratio of EPA to DHA, which Yale-affiliated research has shown to better resolve inflammation than any other combination of EPA and DHA.”
• “4:1 EPA to DHA ratio to promote proper inflammatory response better than either 1:1 or 7:1 EPA to DHA formulations.”
• “Omax3 helps manage the body’s inflammatory response more than any other omega-3 supplement available today.”
• “In fact, a study conducted by physicians affiliated with Yale University, has shown that Omax3 Ultra-Pure promotes proper inflammatory responses better than other omega-3 supplements.”
• “An optimized EPA:DHA ratio enables Omax3 Ultra-Pure to provide a greater reduction of inflammation.”
• “The 4:1 ratio of EPA:DHA in Omax3 Ultra-Pure has been shown to significantly inhibit 2 key regulators of inflammation. In fact, a study has shown that Omax3 Ultra-Pure may promote proper inflammatory responses better than omega-3 supplements with ratios of 1:1 and 7:1
• “Omax3 has been shown to outperform other omega-3 formulations in reducing pro-inflammatory response in human model pre-clinical studies.”

The company, in its advertiser’s statement, said that while it “disagrees with the NAD decision on the superiority claims that Omax3 lowers LDL cholesterol and  reduces inflammation better than competing omega-3 supplements unsubstantiated, it will comply with the decision.”

Note: A recommendation by NAD to modify or discontinue a claim is not a finding of wrongdoing and an advertiser’s voluntary discontinuance or modification of claims should not be construed as an admission of impropriety. It is the policy of NAD not to endorse any company, product, or service. Decisions finding that advertising claims have been substantiated should not be construed as endorsements.