Pharmacy Daily | Statin companion

THE Complementary Healthcare Council of Australia’s Complaints Resolution Committee has ordered that Fit BioCeuticals destroy any remaining copies of its promotional leaflet for its CoQ10 Excel 150mg. The pamphlet was brought to the attention of the Committee by self-appointed watch dog Ken Harvey, who complained after being handed the pamphlet at his local pharmacy. Harvey pointed to claims on the pamphlet including: “Statins are very effective at reducing cholesterol levels in the blood, however, they can also decrease the body’s supply of coenzyme Q10”; and “This leads to side effects such as sore muscles and lack of energy” saying that the latter is “incorrect, unbalanced and misleading because it provides no indication that “sore muscles” are an uncommon side-effect of statin therapy (less than 1%)”. “In addition, to my knowledge, ‘lack of energy’ (while a common complaint) has not been specifically associated with statin,” Harvey said. “Furthermore, the overall message of the handout (reinforced by the sales spiel) is that all patients prescribed a statin need a “companion sale” of CoQ10 to prevent side-effects,” he added. The Committee agreed with Harvey that the pamphlet breached several TGA Advertising Clauses, including that it may mislead, or be likely to mislead, directly or by implication or through emphasis, comparisons, contrasts or omissions.

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