Geritol
GlaxoSmithKline Meda Consumer Healthcare (Mylan) | |
Website | www |
---|
Geritol is a United States trademarked name for various dietary supplements, past and present.[1] Geritol is a brand name for several vitamin complexes plus iron or multimineral products in both liquid form and tablets, containing from 9.5 to 18 mg of iron per daily dose.[2] The name conveys a connection with aging, as in "geriatric". The product has been promoted from almost the beginning of the mass media era as a cure for "iron-poor tired blood".
History
Geritol was introduced as an alcohol-based,
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
Federal Trade Commission investigation
Geritol was the subject of years of investigation starting in 1959 by the
A 1976 settlement agreement between J.B. Williams & Co. and the FTC had the company agreeing to pay $125,000[11] ($669,298 in 2023 dollars).[8]
Since then, supplemental iron products, including Geritol, have been contraindicated because of concerns over hemochromatosis,[12][13] and serious questions raised in studies for men, postmenopausal women, and nonanemic patients with liver disease, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, or cancer.[14][15]
Media sponsorships
In the early days of
In popular culture
Geritol was often used in the 1960s as a punch line for a joke in sitcoms or in comedy routines; comic singer Allan Sherman parodied 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."
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!" [18]
See also
References
- ^ "SmithKline Beecham Publishes Geritol Protection Trademark". LOHAS Weekly Newsletter. September 1, 1999. Archived from the original on 2009-05-11.
- ^ "Geritol Complete Information". GlaxoSmithKline, official Geritol information site for U.S. residents. 2008. Archived from the original on April 30, 2008. Retrieved May 9, 2008.
- ^ "J. B. Williams Company Records, 1853–1956". Archives & Special Collections, Thomas J. Dodd Center, University of Connecticut. Archived from the original on January 29, 2006.
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "Geritol". AdAge Encyclopedia. 2003-09-15.
- ^ Comer, Ben (2011-01-05). "GSK launches new Alli spots, hands five OTC brands to Meda". Medical Marketing and Media (Press release).
- ^ Grover, Natalie (2016-02-11). "Mylan to buy Swedish drugmaker Meda in $7.2 billion deal". Reuters. Retrieved 2017-04-25.
- ^ a b 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
- ^ a b "Geritol's Bitter Pill". Time. February 5, 1973. Archived from the original on December 14, 2008.
- ^ The J. B. WILLIAMS COMPANY, Inc., and Parkson Advertising Agency, Inc., Petitioner, v. FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION, Respondent, 381 F.2d 884 (United States Court of Appeals Sixth Circuit August 11, 1967).
- Newspapers.com.
- ^ "HEMOCHROMATOSIS: A COMMON (YET PREVENTABLE) CHRONIC DISEASE", CD Summary, Vol. 46, No. 16. August 5, 1997.
- ^ Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Iron Archived 2009-05-31 at the Wayback Machine Office of Dietary Supplements • National Institutes of Health. August 24, 2007. Retrieved May 26, 2009
- ^ TF Emery (1991) Iron and Your Health: Facts and Fallacies,
CRC. ISBN 0-8493-6763-8
- ISBN 0-8493-6779-4
- ^ Herb Solow and Bob Justman, Inside Star Trek: The Real Story. Pocket, 1996.
- ^ Staff of WomaNews. "Smart Talk: Shortcuts," Chicago Tribune, September 6, 1992.
- ^ "(You're) Timeless To Me lyrics". Retrieved August 22, 2018.