French 'cure' for excess alcohol raises safety fear

London Telegraph
Feb. 21, 2006

France's drinkers can now buy a potion which supposedly stops hangovers and makes alcohol disappear from the blood system up to six times faster than usual.

Made from a "secret recipe" based on plant extracts, Security Feel Better comes in tiny bottles and is recommended for use before, during or after a heavy lunch or party.

It is already on sale in a number of French supermarkets and is being exported to Korea, Germany and Switzerland with talks in progress to launch it in America and elsewhere, though not yet Britain.

The Normandy-based maker, PPN, insisted yesterday it was not trying to convince buyers they could "drink, drink, drink" without regard to health or safety.

But its publicity material is already being interpreted in France as implying that it allows drivers to get behind the wheel without fear.

PPN's website says the product should work within 45 minutes to "prevent hangover and eliminate food and drinks quicker, especially alcohol", and to ease feelings of excess after "a lunch or party".

A footnote to the site warns that time needed for the product to take effect varies between individuals. It also warns that alcohol abuse can seriously damage health.

However, there are signs on both sides of the Channel that not everyone approves of promoting a product that encourages drinkers to feel they can quickly erase the effects of alcohol.

The vast French supermarket chain Auchan said that it had stopped selling the drink after a trial period at a store in northern France.

In Britain, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) said it had severe concerns about any product that led people to think they could drink and drive, whether or not it was marketed as such.

Sophie Morgaut, from the agency handling PNN's publicity, said: "We are not encouraging people to drink more, or to believe they can use Security Feel Better to drink and then drive.

"PPN is a very responsible company. Alcohol is widely available and this is a serious product which helps eliminate it more quickly."

In one test carried out during PPN's research, she said, a man who drank a whisky followed by a whole bottle of wine and a liqueur gave a reading of 187mg before taking Security Feel Better, but 80mg only 40 minutes later.

A court has ruled that Security Feel Better can be sold legally in France, provided its advertisements do not refer to blood-alcohol levels or the product's effect on them.