Humphreys Homeopathic Products

October 2013: A federal judge approved a $1.4 million settlement to a class-action lawsuit against Humphreys Pharmacal Inc. and Dickinson Brands, Inc. According to the settlement terms, class members will receive a full refund up to $10 for each eligible product purchased (with a max of $50 per household for class members without proof of purchase and a max of $100 per household for class members with proof of purchase). In addition, the company has agreed to make several changes to its marketing of homeopathic products:

1. The company will include an FDA disclaimer (“These ‘uses’ have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration”) on each homeopathic product label and in its advertising;
2. It will incorporate a dilution disclaimer throughout its advertising for homeopathic products;
3. It will no longer label homeopathic products as “all natural” or “natural” if they really contain artificial and synthetic ingredients;
4. It will no longer label homeopathic products as containing “no animal ingredients” if they actually contain derivatives of animals or insects.

March 2013: Despite denying any wrongdoing, Humphreys Pharmacal has agreed to pay $1.4 million to settle a class-action lawsuit filed against it in November 2012. The lawsuit alleges that Humphreys and its parent company, Dickinson brands, made misleading and confusing claims about the efficacy and ingredients in Humphreys homeopathic products. The settlement, which was preliminarily approved by the court in February 2013, is still waiting final court approval. (Nigh v. Humphreys Pharmacal Inc. et al., Case No. 12-cv-02714, S.D. Cal.)

For more information about other class-action lawsuits regarding homeopathic products and TINA.org’s coverage of the issue, click here.