FTC Sending Refund Checks Totaling Nearly $955,000 to Consumers Who Lost Money Buying Lane Labs’ AdvaCAL Calcium Supplement
More Than 17,600 Checks Mailed
The Federal Trade Commission has mailed 17,606 refund checks totaling $954,828.31 to consumers who lost money buying a supposedly superior calcium supplement marketed by Lane Labs-USA Inc. and its president Andrew Lane. The amount each consumer receives will vary based on how much they lost.The refunds are being made from money collected under a 2010 U.S. Court of Appeals ruling and 2011 district court decision finding Lane Labs in contempt of a 2000 order, based on the company’s false and unsubstantiated claims for its calcium supplement, AdvaCAL. Lane Labs claimed that AdvaCAL was the only calcium supplement that could increase bone density, and was on par or superior to prescription drugs used to treat osteoporosis.
Gilardi & Co., LLC, the redress administrator for this matter, has mailed refund checks to eligible consumers. The checks must be cashed by May 18, 2015 or they will become void. Recipients should note that the FTC never requires consumers to pay money or provide information before redress checks can be cashed.
The Federal Trade Commission works for consumers to prevent fraudulent, deceptive, and unfair business practices and to provide information to help spot, stop, and avoid them. To file a complaint in English or Spanish, visit the FTC’s online Complaint Assistant or call 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357). The FTC enters complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to more than 2,000 civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad.