Advertising Standards Authority of South Africa Rulings These are rulings extracted from the ASA website (http://www.asasa.org.za) related to advertising and claims made for medicines. The rulings are "republished" here with permission and as a service to the public. For UK ASA rulings, which are also interesting and comparative, see that category. |
Procydin
This post refers to a claim made by Procydin in 2009, but only posted now for posterity.
This product claimed on its label: “Helps prevent your body from rusting away”
This is extremely misleading as there is no part of your body that can “rust”. When a metal is exposed to water and oxygen, a chemical reaction called oxidation takes place which causes corrosion. When this takes place with iron, it results in a reddish-brown discolouration which may flake off and is known as rust.
Oxidation can also occur when a fruit such as apples or bananas are exposed to air, and they develop a brownish discolouration.
Inside the body “oxidation” is said to take place when a transfer of “free radicals” occurs. This is not the same thing as “rusting”. Normally the free radicals (another name for unstable electrons) attach themselves to any molecule nearby which is able to … Read the rest
Bio-Strath – ASA Ruling
Dr Gosling lodged a consumer complaint against a Bio-Strath Elixir print advertisement that was published in the Weekend Argus newspaper during August 2008. The advertisement states, inter alia, “76% Improvement in ADD/ADHD symptoms”.
… Read the rest