The multilevel marketing company, Conybio Healthcare, which has been selling life style products with wrong medical claims, has withdrawn all such claims on its products through a media advertisement. In a recent media ad released in a national newspaper circulated in Gujarat, the company has denied any therapeutic value to these products as claimed by its sales personnel. The company has also apologized for misguiding the public by making false medical claims on these products following the seizure of its stock by the Food and Drug control Administration (FDCA) in Gujarat and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Maharashtra.
According to SP Adeshara, commissioner, FDCA Gujarat, the company has already changed its product pamphlets and brochures with the instruction from the FDCA. The FDCA after confiscating the stock from the company's distributors in the state had instructed the company either to substantiate the claims or to face penal action for making false medical claims.
"As the company confirmed that the products are not of any curative value and was not proved for any therapeutic effect in curing ailments, they were asked to change the labels and also the promotional materials. Since the company has now rectified the misleading claims on the product publicly, we may think about releasing the confiscated stock," Adeshara said.
The company had distributed in the market sun shade to cure migraine and sunstroke, socks for acidity, pillow covers for spondylitis, palm guards for Parkinson's disease, eye shade for sinusitis, T shirts for high and low blood pleasure, short pants to cure gas, acidity, prostate, piles, urinary problems, ladies briefs for menstrual problems, bed sheets for paralysis strokes and brassieres for breast cancer.
The FDCA Gujarat and FDA Maharashtra had prohibited the sale of these products and also ordered the company and stockists to stop distribution of the objectionable pamphlets and sale of goods.
The commissioner, FDA Maharashtra, Uttam Kobraghade said that the confiscated stock will not be released unless the company takes corrective measures to remove the wrong impression created by the company about its products.
The drug regulatory authorities have initiated action against these products after the Ahmedabad based consumer action group, Consumer Education and Research Centre (CERC) brought into the notice of the departments the unlawful act of the company to cheat lay public with misleading claims. The CERC stated that it is with a wrong intention the company adopted multilevel marketing to sell these ordinary life style products at an unrealistic price to ignorant public through a non-transparent manner. "Moreover, it is the most heinous way of making money by victimizing suffering patients with false hopes," said the drug control officials.
Conybio Healthcare, a Chennai-based firm has been marketing these products for some years now involving the wannabe rich unemployed young people by giving high promises.