The manufacturers of a supplement that claimed to reduce cravings for alcohol will now have to refund at least $650,000 to customers under a Federal Trade Commission order proposed Wednesday.
The FTC charges that Rejuvica and proprietors Kyle Armstrong and Kyle Dilger made unsubstantiated claims about their product Sobrenix, which was sold on Amazon, the Walmart website and other platforms.
One such description read “Sobrenix is designed to reduce alcohol cravings and help you detoxify your body so you can successfully manage alcohol consumption. Even better, taken before drinking, Sobrenix’s ingredients help you stop before you’ve had too much.”
The claims about the liquid tincture, made of kudzu root, herbs and vitamins, was not backed up by evidence, the FTC says, but rather by a series of positive reviews written by Rejuvica employees on fake review sites that the agency claims Rejuvica set up itself.
The FTC also accused Mr. Dilger and Mr. Armstrong of paying “experts” to appear on local TV hocking the product, without disclosing that these appearances were a paid advertisement on behalf of Rejuvica.
To settle the FTC’s allegations, the company and the two men agreed to a proposed court order. The defendants, if the order is approved, would be banned from making claims that products can cure medical ailments without the proper and documented scientific proof, including random clinical trials, to back up those claims.
The order also assessed a total monetary judgment of $3,247,737, reduced to $650,000 due to the inability of the defendants to pay the full amount. That cash will go back to the consumers that bought Sobrenix.
• Brad Matthews can be reached at bmatthews@washingtontimes.com.
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