SAN FRANCISCO - Two California men filed a lawsuit Friday against Walgreen Company, alleging the national drug store retailer made misleading claims and falsely advertised a wellness product.
Robert Mason and Gary Reynolds filed their suit in United States District Court in the Northern District of California.
The plaintiffs said Walgreen's Enhanced Absorption Formula CoQ-10 advertises that it has an enhanced formula that’s made to be absorbed quicker than similar products. The plaintiffs allege that after several studies, the product didn’t absorb as quickly as it claimed. Therefore, they said, they paid for a product but didn’t get what they paid for.
According to the suit, standards published by the United States Pharmacopeial Convention require a softgel supplement, such as the one supplied by Walgreen's, to rupture within 15 minutes of being ingested and be dissolved by 75 percent in order for it to be effective.
The plaintiffs claim tests by independent labs found that Walgreen's softgels in some cases didn’t rupture for more than an hour, which wouldn’t allow the pill to be absorbed. The suit claims that Walgreen's deceptively advertised this product, as well as made misleading claims.
The plaintiffs are seeking damages for themselves, as well as all consumers who purchased the product. Mason and Reynolds are represented by Jack Fitzgerald and Ronald Marron.