The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) fined “Vinara” LLC, the importer of the dietary supplement “HepaReal,” 993,900 UAH for providing false information regarding the product’s properties.
According to the AMCU, it determined that Vinara had disseminated information on the supplement’s packaging and online that directly positioned “HepaReal” as a hepatoprotective agent and attributed to it properties that may be characteristic, in particular, of medicinal products in the corresponding group.
“Vinara LLC failed to provide adequate evidence to substantiate the claimed properties of the dietary supplement, taking into account its full composition. Based on the results of the case review, the committee concluded that the information disseminated by Vinara LLC regarding the properties of the ‘Hepareal’ dietary supplement is false,” the committee noted.
The AMCU also determined that the market for the production and sale of medicinal products classified as hepatoprotective drugs—specifically, those containing the same active ingredient as listed in the composition of the “HepaReal” dietary supplement—is competitive.
“The Committee concluded that the company (IF-U) could have misled consumers regarding the properties and intended use of the dietary supplement ‘HepaReal’ and influenced their decisions to purchase it. As a result of such actions, Vinara LLC may have gained an unfair competitive advantage,” the statement notes.
Based on the results of the case review, the AMCU found that Vinara LLC’s actions constituted a violation under Article 15¹ of the Law of Ukraine “On Protection Against Unfair Competition” and imposed a fine of 993,937 UAH on the company.
