US Men Sue Over Inflated Hopes

More than a million American men feel let down by firms which offered penis enlargements achieved by taking a course of herbal pills.

One dissatisfied customer, Michael Coluzzi, sued a company for false advertising, claiming he "experienced no increase in size". Mr Coluzzi, from New Jersey, said he paid $59.95 (£31.67) for a 30-day supply of Alzare pills, which claim a 95% success rate in increasing the length of a penis by three inches. The tablets are said to include ginseng and yohimbe bark.

Mr Coluzzi said he saw no results and was unable to collect a promised refund from the manufacturer, Alzare LLC, based in Boca Raton, Florida.

Mr Coluzzi's is one of three suits seeking class action status. They claim to represent more than a million plaintiffs seeking redress for disappointing results using herbal dietary supplements to increase the length and girth of the penis. The other two involved products called VigRx and Enzyte. Since they do not claim to cure any disease, the makers are free from regulation by the US Food and Drug Administration.

But despite thousands of complaints being registered, few lawsuits have been filed because, according to Mr Coluzzi's lawyer, Stephen DeNittis, the companies appear to be "judgment proof".

"They don't have enough assets for plaintiffs to recover."