Dive Brief:
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Dietary supplement retailer GNC is under fire from the Oregon attorney general’s office for selling two synthetic drugs including an amphetamine-like chemical and another used in Russia to treat neurological symptoms.
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Oregon Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum, whose office says it has internal company documents supporting its claims, said the ingredients are unlawful because the company can only lawfully sell supplements that include natural ingredients.
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The company said the claims are without merit.
Dive Insight:
Nutritionists have long warned that so-called natural supplements are office laced with caffeine and other chemicals that are the true source of “energy” touted in advertising, but this is damning evidence of possibly more worrisome ingredients.
“GNC sells products obtained from third-party vendors that GNC knows or should know contain unlawful and potentially unsafe ingredients,” the Oregon attorney general’s lawsuit reads. The lawsuit also says that GNC is aware of the false advertising because it reviews and approves its labels and advertising materials.
GNC and representatives of the supplements industry said it’s the FDA that should be in charge of detailing whether supplements are unlawful or unsafe, but Oregon officials said states should step in wherever the FDA fails to take appropriate action.
In fact, insists Oregon assistant attorney general David Hart, any state has the power to work in consumers’ interest.“If the FDA is unable to take action, and the health and safety of Oregonians are threatened, Oregon can move in quickly to fill the regulatory void,” Hart said in a statement.
GNC shares have fallen on news of the lawsuit.
