Apoaequorin – Prevagen
Apoaequorin is a protein that was originally discovered in the jellyfish species Aequorea victoria. When apoaequorin binds with calcium, a blue light is produced.
This compound is being marketed as Prevagen as a supplement to improve memory.
There has been some concern over false advertising claims being made by Quincy Bioscience, the makers of Prevagen. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is an independent government agency that works to promote fair trade competition and protect and educate consumers. In 2017, along with the State of New York, the FTC filed a complaint against the makers of Prevagen because it had “reason to believe” that the law was being violated by false advertising claims. The FTC argued that Quincy Bioscience made false claims that Prevagen improves memory and is “clinically shown” to work. However, only one study has been published, and the study shows no effect of Prevagen on memory. The federal court judge ruled in favor of Quincy Bioscience stating that although the study showed no effect in the entire study population, the company could make claims based on its separate analysis of groups within the study. In March 2018, the FTC and State of New York filed an appeal, or request for the case to be brought before a higher court. This is currently under consideration at the federal level.
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Further reading
- WebMD
- Harvard Health Publishing
- Medscape – requires sign in
- Being patient: review