NAD Refers Claims for ‘Verified Forskolin’ to FTC for Further Review After Site Operator Fails to Respond to NAD Inquiry

New York, NY – Aug. 24, 2016 – The National Advertising Division has referred advertising claims made for the dietary supplement “Verified Forskolin” to the Federal Trade Commission for further review, after the operator of a website where the product is sold – www.verifiedforskolin.com – failed to respond to NAD’s inquiry.

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

NAD opened its inquiry into claims made for the product as part of its ongoing monitoring program and in conjunction with an initiative with the Council for Responsible Nutrition to expand the review of advertising claims for dietary supplements.

NAD requested substantiation for claims that included:

• “You will easily increase your bone mass in case you take a moment and start using forskolin.”
• “Through making use of Forskolin you will be really privileged where you can just consume the supplement containing Forskolin for you to get rid of the allergies.”
• “Through use of the substance, studies have shown that the supplement can help in reducing chances of cancer in individuals.”
• “The supplement works in a natural way where it will help you get rid of cancer without any side effects.”

NAD noted in its decision that the advertiser “failed to file a substantive written response or provide any evidence to substantiate the challenged claims and testimonials, both of which have the potential to encourage consumers to forego taking medications or necessary medical procedures to treat allergies, bone mass loss, glaucoma, and most disturbingly, cancer – a result which can have serious health-related repercussions.  Based on the advertiser’s failure to file a substantive written response, NAD is referring this matter to the Federal Trade Commission pursuant to section 2.10 (A) of the NAD/NARB Procedures.”

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.