Geritol

Geritol was introduced as an alcohol-based, iron and B vitamin tonic by Pharmaceuticals, Inc., in August 1950 and primarily marketed as such into the 1970s. Geritol was folded into Pharmaceuticals' 1957 acquisition of J. B. Williams Co., founded in 1885.{{cite web|url=http://www.lib.uconn.edu/online/research/speclib/ASC/findaids/JBWilliams/MSS19670001.html|title=J. B. Williams Company Records, 1853–1956|website=Archives & Special Collections, Thomas J. Dodd Center, University of Connecticut|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060129204143/http://www.lib.uconn.edu/online/research/speclib/ASC/findaids/JBWilliams/MSS19670001.html|archive-date=January 29, 2006}} J. B. Williams Co. was bought by Nabisco in 1971.{{cite news |date=1971-07-10 |title=Nabsico-Williams |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/128223688/ |url-access=subscription |work=The Des Moines Register |via=Newspapers.com |volume=125 |issue=15 |page=11}} In 1982, the Geritol product name was acquired by the multinational pharmaceutical firm Beecham (later GlaxoSmithKline).{{cite web |date=2003-09-15 |title=Geritol |url=https://adage.com/article/adage-encyclopedia/geritol/98487 |url-access=subscription |website=AdAge Encyclopedia}} Geritol was acquired by Meda Pharmaceutical in 2011.{{cite press release|last=Comer |first=Ben|date=2011-01-05|title=GSK launches new Alli spots, hands five OTC brands to Meda|url=http://www.mmm-online.com/gsk-launches-new-alli-spots-hands-five-otc-brands-to-meda/article/193721/ |website=Medical Marketing and Media}} Meda was acquired by Mylan in 2016.{{Cite news |last=Grover |first=Natalie |title=Mylan to buy Swedish drugmaker Meda in $7.2 billion deal |work=Reuters |access-date=2017-04-25 |date=2016-02-11 |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-meda-m-a-mylan-nl-idUSKCN0VJ2IK}}

The earlier Geritol liquid formulation was advertised as "twice the iron in a pound of calf's liver," and daily doses contained about 50–100 milligrams of iron as ferric ammonium citrate. The Geritol tonic contained about 12% alcohol and some B vitamins.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

Geritol was the subject of years of investigation starting in 1959 by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). In 1965, the FTC ordered the makers of Geritol to disclose that Geritol would relieve symptoms of tiredness only in persons who suffer from iron deficiency anemia, and that the vast majority of people who experience such symptoms do not have such a deficiency. Geritol's claims were discredited in court findings as "conduct amounted to gross negligence and bordered on recklessness," ruled as a false and misleading claim, and heavily penalized with fines totaling $812,000 (equivalent to ${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|812000|1973}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}} dollars),{{Inflation-fn|US}} the largest FTC fine up to that date (1973).{{cite magazine|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,906840,00.html|title=Geritol's Bitter Pill|magazine=Time|date=February 5, 1973|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081214084141/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,906840,00.html|archive-date=December 14, 2008}}{{cite court|url=https://law.resource.org/pub/us/case/reporter/F2/381/381.F2d.884.16969.html|vol=381|reporter=F.2d|opinion=884|litigants=The J. B. WILLIAMS COMPANY, Inc., and Parkson Advertising Agency, Inc., Petitioner, v. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, Respondent|court=United States Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit|date=August 11, 1967}} Although subsequent trials and appeals from 1965 to 1973 concluded that some of the FTC demands exceeded its authority, Geritol was already well known and continued to be the largest U.S. company selling iron and B-vitamin supplements through 1979.{{cn|date=April 2024}}

A 1976 settlement agreement between J.B. Williams & Co. and the FTC had the company agreeing to pay $125,000{{cite news |last=Donnelon |first=Bill |date=1976-02-01 |title=Continuing Saga of the FDA |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/253950159/ |url-access=subscription |newspaper=Daily Record |via=Newspapers.com |volume=76 |issue=185 |page=B3}} (${{Format price|{{Inflation|US|125,000|1976}}}} in {{Inflation/year|US}} dollars).{{Inflation-fn|US}}

Since then, supplemental iron products, including Geritol, have been contraindicated because of concerns over hemochromatosis,[http://egov.oregon.gov/DHS/ph/cdsummary/1997/ohd4616.pdf "HEMOCHROMATOSIS: A COMMON (YET PREVENTABLE) CHRONIC DISEASE"], CD Summary, Vol. 46, No. 16. August 5, 1997.[http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/iron.aspDietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Iron] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090531085023/http://dietary-supplements.info.nih.gov/factsheets/iron.asp |date=2009-05-31 }}

Office of Dietary Supplements • National Institutes of Health. August 24, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2009 and serious questions raised in studies for men, postmenopausal women, and nonanemic patients with liver disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or cancer.{{cite book| first=Thomas F.| last=Emery| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jxsw4tPVUdUC&q=hemachromatosis&pg=PA1| title=Iron and Your Health: Facts and Fallacies| publisher=CRC Press| date=May 21, 1991| isbn=978-0-8493-6763-2}}{{cite book| first=Randall B.| last=Lauffer| pages=13–15| date=August 5, 1992| url=https://books.google.com/books?id=55PJK-1EWEgC&q=overload| title=Iron and Human Disease| publisher=CRC Press| isbn=978-0-8493-6779-3}}

In the early days of television, the marketing of Geritol was involved in the quiz show scandal, as the sponsor of Twenty-One. For many years after that, Geritol was largely marketed on television programs that appealed primarily to older viewers, such as The Lawrence Welk Show, What's My Line?, The Red Skelton Show, To Tell the Truth, Hee Haw, and Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour, as well as Arthur Godfrey's daily show. It was also one of the sponsors of the original Star Trek series.{{cite book| first1=Herb| last1=Solow| first2=Bob| last2=Justman| title=Inside Star Trek: The Real Story| url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780671896287/mode/2up| publisher=Pocket Books| year=1996| isbn=978-0-6718-9628-7}}{{page needed|date=October 2024}}

Geritol was often used in the 1960s as a punch line for a joke in sitcoms or in comedy routines; comic singer Allan Sherman referenced Geritol on his 1962 album My Son, the Folk Singer, singing "Yasha got a bottle of Geritol" to the tune of "Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho".

Geritol is famous for a controversial 1972 television commercial tag line, "My wife, I think I'll keep her." This line, brought out during the height of the Women's Liberation Movement, was not appreciated by some women and was lambasted by news and comedy shows.{{Citation needed|date=November 2016}} Comedian Robert Klein commented on his 1972 album Child of the Fifties:{{Citation needed|date=November 2016}} "Where does he get the nerve?... She has to keep begging him, "Will you keep me one more day?" "All right, one more day: now, get back to the kitchen!" The line was the inspiration for Mary Chapin Carpenter's 1993 song "He Thinks He'll Keep Her".WomaNews. "Smart Talk: Shortcuts". Chicago Tribune. September 6, 1992.

In 1992, George Jones used the line “I don't need your rockin' chair, your Geritol or your Medicare” in his hit song "I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair".

In 1994, a reunion of members of Bill Haley & His Comets released the album You're Never Too Old to Rock (Hydra Records BCK 27013). One track, "Let's Rock and Roll Some More" features 70-year-old drummer Dick Richards singing "We've been away a while, but we ain't gone/Take a Geritol and put your dancin' shoes on."

In the 2002 stage musical Hairspray, Edna and Wilbur Turnblad sing to each other of love as they grow old in the song "Timeless to Me". In one line, Edna sings "Pass that Geritol!" {{cite web| title=(You're) Timeless To Me lyrics| url=https://www.stlyrics.com/lyrics/hairspray/youretimelesstome.htm| website=ST Lyrics| access-date=October 8, 2024}}

• Hadacol

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• [http://www.geritol.com Official website]

{{Quiz show scandals}}

Category:Products introduced in 1950

Category:Dietary supplements

Category:Nabisco brands

Category:Drugs developed by GSK plc