TrimSpa
TrimSpa was a dietary supplement designed for weight loss, marketed by the company Goen Technologies and headed by Alexander Szynalski.[1] Various products marketed by TrimSpa were claimed to help "stave off hunger".[2] TrimSpa formerly contained ephedra until it was banned in the United States. TrimSpa's parent company, Goen Technologies, filed for bankruptcy protection in May 2008. Goen Technologies owed unsecured creditors debts up to $33 million, and had only $1.23 million in assets. In September 2008, it was decided by a judge to turn the case into Chapter 7 liquidation. At it's peak, TrimSpa brought in $141 million sales, with $17 million operating profits, and was spending $10 million in advertising alone. It was decided that in October 2008 that remaining assets of the business would go up for auction, including thousands of TrimSpa bottles, two custom motorcycles, two custom vans with Anna Nicole Smith painted on them, an Indy-style race car, and various office equipment.
Anna Nicole Smith and Melissa D. Gordon were spokesmodels for the product.
The new TrimSpa formula X32 was launched by new owners in 2013, and contains no ephedra. It claims its active ingredients are Hoodia gordonii along with the stimulants caffeine and theobromine.
Composition
Hoodia gordonii is a succulent native to Africa which is currently under investigation for use as an appetite suppressant. However, it has not been conclusively demonstrated that Hoodia works as an appetite suppressant in humans. No published peer-reviewed double-blind clinical trials have been performed on humans to investigate the safety or effectiveness of Hoodia gordonii in pill form as a nutritional supplement. In addition to Hoodia, TrimSpa X32 tablets contain green tea, glucomannan, cocoa extract, vanadium, and glucosamine.[3] According to the manufacturer's labeling, TrimSpa X32 pills are to be taken 3 times per day at a minimum, and 6 maximum.[3] TrimSpa X32 also contains chromium.[3] The stimulant components are hoodia gordonii and components containing caffeine (green tea and cocoa extracts).
Federal Trade Commission fine for false claims
On January 4, 2007 the U.S. Federal Trade Commission announced that the marketers of TrimSpa had agreed to pay a settlement of $1.5 million in response to an FTC complaint of making unsupported claims in advertisements, and were prohibited "from making any claims about the health benefits, performance, efficacy, safety, or side effects of TrimSpa, Hoodia gordonii, or any dietary supplement, food, drug, or health-related service or program, unless the claims are true, not misleading, and substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence." The FTC also announced similar settlements with the marketers of Xenadrine EFX, CortiSlim, and One-A-Day WeightSmart.[4]
Over-the-counter disclaimer
The original TrimSpa and the new TRIMSPA X32 are dietary supplements, regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) under different rules than those governing prescription medicines and other over-the-counter products.[5] Under these regulatory rules, TrimSpa products' safety and effectiveness are not reviewed by the FDA. Rather, TrimSpa's original parent company, Nutramerica Corp., and its original marketer and manufacturer, Goen Technologies Corp., were responsible for ensuring that their products were safe for public consumption. These same rules apply to the new owners.
Celebrity Endorsements
The model Anna Nicole Smith made TrimSpa famous in commercials with the phrase "TrimSpa, Baby!"
See also
References
- ↑ E! News - Anna Nicole Fitted for TrimSpa Suit - Anna Nicole Smith
- ↑ TrimSpa.com. Product Information. Last accessed July 13, 2007.
- 1 2 3 TrimSpa. "TrimSpa X32 label"
- ↑ Federal Trade Commission. Federal Trade Commission reaches “New Year’s” resolutions with four major weight-control pill marketers (4 January 2007).
- ↑ United States Food & Drug Administration. "Dietary Supplements." Last updated July 6, 2007. Last accessed July 13, 2007.