Australia brand fined $28,000 for misleading COVID-19 claim in 'anti-virus' leggings ad

A popular Australian clothing label has been penalised for asserting that its "anti-virus" leggings and tops are effective against COVID-19, health officials said at a press conference on Saturday, July 17.

brand of Brisbane, Lorna Jane, was fined A$40,000 (US$28,000) after it was exposed claiming on its website that its "anti-virus activewear" was a chemical-free treatment to prevent viral infections, rapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) said in a statement.  

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"LJ Shield breaks through membrane shell of any toxic diseases, bacteria or germs that come into contact with it, t only killing that microbe but preventing it from multiplying into anymore," clothing line wrote on its website. “Any bacteria that comes in contact with fabric is terminated when it comes in touch with LJ Shield particles,” company said in a fundamentally false claim.  

Chair of Australian Medical Association Ethics and Medico-Legal Committee, Dr. Chris Moy, was quoted saying that LJ Shield claims "made sense" and it implied protection so out of context like users would wrap leggings around face like a mask. He added people must t rely on such baseless claims that leggings could protect  from COVID-19 to any significant degree. 

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"n-toxic mist" alongside coronavirus

Department of Health Deputy Secretary John Skerritt reportedly said this nature of advertising could have consequences for Australian community, creating a false sense of security and leading people to be less vigilant about hygiene and social distancing.

Brand’s website mentioned a "n-toxic mist" alongside coronavirus, claiming, that it created a "permanent, chemical-free shield" to kill viruses. However, after it was fined and called out, clothing line later rebranded its leggings from "anti-virus" to "anti-bacterial" on website. 

In an official statement on its website, Lorna Jane said, “w with re being such a focus on COVID-19 virus and recent press making that only focus, we didn't want to mislead anyone.”

It furr added, saying, “Our testing shows that LJ Shield is an important part of stopping spread of both bacterial and viral infections and should be used in combination with or precautionary measures such as face masks and thorough and frequent hand washing.”

As per local Australia reports, TGA has previously issued a warning about illegal advertising related to coronavirus to brands of air purifiers, medicines, medical devices, etc for making baseless claims of “killing coronavirus”.  

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