Credit: TINA.org
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Prevagen Memory Study Falls Short (Truth in Advertising):
“In 2011, four years after launching Prevagen, Wisconsin-based Quincy Bioscience embarked on a study to prove that the active ingredient in the supplement — apoaequorin — improves memory. It did not yield the results Quincy was hoping for. In fact, the Madison Memory Study failed to show a statistically significant improvement in the treatment group over the placebo group — scientist speak for Prevagen wasn’t any better than a placebo at improving memory.
But rather than pack it in and start afresh with a new study, like a high school biology student whose hypothesis has been proven wrong but who still needs an A to pass the class, Quincy concocted new, less reliable ways to look at the completed study … This week, TINA.org joined with AARP and its charitable arm, AARP Foundation, as well as the National Consumers League and a group of advertising law academics in filing a legal brief in support of reversing the dismissal. In the brief, TINA.org and its partners argue that the district court erred in its interpretation of post hoc analyses as competent and reliable scientific evidence — the legal standard for substantiation when it comes to making health claims.
The brief concludes:
If a federal district court was misled by Quincy’s marketing and proffered substantiation, what hope is there for the millions of aging Americans concerned about memory loss and cognitive decline to accurately differentiate scientific facts from Quincy’s fiction?
News in Context:
TINA.org’s investigation into Prevagen.
The Federal Trade Commission challenges brain health claims by Procera AVH dietary supplement
Maker of “neuro” functional drinks settles false advertising complaint
20 facts to harness neuroplasticity and improve brain health
Read more about this at sharpbrains.com.