Miralus Healthcare

Miralus Healthcare is a company that is best known for marketing the homeopathic headache product HeadOn. The product has become well known for its simple television commercial which thrice repeats the phrase "HeadOn: Apply directly to the forehead!", without making any claims about the product's intended use or efficacy; for which there is no evidence. On September 26, 2008, ownership of the HeadOn brand and its manufacture was transferred to Sirvision, inc. of North America.[1] Miralus healthcare still produces other products listed below.

Miralus Healthcare is based in Cheyenne, Wyoming.[2]

Products

Name of product Type Year introduced Slogan(s) Notes
ActivOn joint and muscle pain remedy 2006 "Apply directly where it hurts." (not repeated) Contains similar ingredients to Vicks VapoRub ointment.[3]
FirstOn itch remedy 2007 "Apply directly where it itches." (not repeated) Contains 1% hydrocortisone.[4] Product renamed ActivOn Maximum Strength Anti-Itch.
Flexitol heel balm "Prescribe it for yourself - it works!" Contained urea and moisturizers.[5] Product is now distributed by Eulactol USA, subsidiary of Australian company Laderma; distributed in Australia and New Zealand as Eulactol.[6]
FREEdHEM hemorrhoid cream ca. September 2005 "The only one-application hemorrhoid cream" (original slogan, stated three times)
"Freedom from hemorrhoids - FREEdHEM Hemorrhoid Cream" (also stated three times)		 Contained activated charcoal.[7] (Product discontinued)
HeadOn (original formulation) homeopathic placebo 2004 "Have you heard about HeadOn?" (original slogan)
"Apply directly to the forehead" (originally stated three times)
"We will give you your money back" (stated two times)		 The commercial spawned an Internet meme, with various parodies due to the simplicity and repetition of the HeadOn slogan.
PreferOn scar remedy April 2007 "Apply directly to the scar" (not repeated) Contains vitamin E.[8]
RenewIn joint + energy pills 2007 "The only intensive release supplement for joint care and energy" Contains glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, and other ingredients.[9]

RenewIn

RenewIn® Intensive Release® Joint Care is a product that was designed and introduced in 2007 by the Miralus Healthcare company,[10] better known for their homeopathic headache product HeadOn.[10] The company's mission is to provide healthcare solutions by developing new pharmaceutical products that will improve the everyday lives of their customers.[11]

The Intensive Release® technology claims to provide immediate delivery of the product's benefits when used by the consumer.[12] On the Miralus website, it states that RenewIn® Intensive Release® Joint Care is the only Intensive Release® Bi-Layer tablet that is designed for joint care and to boost energy.[12] The product contains a wide range of ingredients including, but not limited to glucosamine, chondroitin, MSM, hyaluronic acid, calcium carbonate, and green, white and oolong tea leaves.

Glucosamine is marketed to improve the function and structure of joints and is safe to use, but the effectiveness of glucosamine for any condition has yet to be established as a number of studies conclude that there are no known benefits aside its placebo effect.[13] Chondroitin is an alternative medicine designed to treat osteoarthritis, however there are mixed results concerning the effectiveness of chondroitin in the improvement of joint pain.[14][15] Hyaluronic acid has been used in attempts to treat osteoarthritis, but has not been proven to have any significant benefits and has possible severe side effects.[16] Upon investigation of just a few of the ingredients in RenewIn® Intensive Release® Joint Care* + Energy, one should be skeptical when purchasing this item for the purposes of relieving and improving joint pain as the effectiveness of the ingredients are mixed in the literature, with most studies concluding there are no significant benefits of consuming these ingredients.

The Miralus website contains a disclaimer that the statements made by Miralus Healthcare about their products have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but they meet regulations for safe usage. Also, the labelling, packaging and manufacturing of the products comply with the FDA safety regulations[12] <http://www.miralus.com/research.php>. The disclaimer statements made on the Miralus website show that although the product is safe to use and properly manufactured and packaged to standards, the FDA has not evaluated the effectiveness of RenewIn® Intensive Release® Joint Care. Consumers should be cautious when purchasing this product for joint pain relief, as there is a lack of evidence to support that this product works or is beneficial to consumers.

References

  1. ↑ "Sirvision, inc. website".
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ Pill Board Archive: January 2007
  4. ↑ FirstOn at Revolution Health
  5. ↑ Flexitol Heel Balm at Revolution Health
  6. ↑ http://www.eulactol.com/
  7. ↑ FREEdHEM at Revolution Health
  8. ↑ PreferOn at Walgreens.com
  9. ↑ RenewIn at Walgreens.com
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 Miralus Healthcare
  11. ↑ http://www.miralus.com/aboutus.php
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 http://www.miralus.com/renewin_jointcare.php?link=7
  13. ↑ http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/DSH/glucosamine.html
  14. ↑ Wandel S, et al. Effects of glucosamine, chondroitin, or placebo in patients with osteoarthritis of hip or knee: network meta-analysis. BMJ 2010; 341:c4675
  15. ↑ Gabay C, et al. Symptomatic effects of chondroitin 4 and chondroitin 6 sulfate on hand osteoarthritis: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial at a single center. Arthritis Rheum. 2011 Nov;63(11):3383-91
  16. ↑ Rutjes, AW; Jüni, P; da Costa, BR; Trelle, S; Nüesch, E; Reichenbach, S (Aug 7, 2012). "Viscosupplementation for osteoarthritis of the knee: a systematic review and meta-analysis". Annals of internal medicine 157 (3): 180–91. doi:10.7326/0003-4819-157-3-201208070-00473

External links