Prince Charles' firm forced to eat its words over misleading advert for medicines

Published on Saturday 21 March 2009 18:34

THE Prince of Wales' Duchy Originals company has been told to change the wording of a campaign promoting two herbal medicines, after a regulatory authority ruled claims in the advert were misleading.

Adverts for Duchy Herbals Echina-Relief Tincture and Duchy Herbals Hyperi-Lift Tincture appeared on the company's website in January.

But a member of the public complained about the adverts' claims concerning the effectiveness of the remedies.

The complainant alleged that the advert suggested the two products had been assessed for efficacy and was therefore misleading.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) stepped in and upheld the complaint.

The MHRA gave Duchy Originals a licence to sell the remedies but did not enable it to make any claims about the effects of the remedies.

The firm has agreed to change the wording of the advert and remove the previous claims.

A MHRA spokesman said: "Nelsons, the registration holder, on behalf of Duchy Originals agreed that they would amend their advertising and remove claims of efficacy from their website and all future advertising."