GNC Sold Illegal Dietary Supplements, Suit Says

General Nutrition Corporation is the target of a class action lawsuit that accuses the mega-retailer of selling supplements to the public that contain potentially dangerous ingredients, while misrepresenting the products as safe. The two ingredients are called picamilon and BMPEA. One or both can be found in dietary supplements such as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, Redline Ultra Hardcore, Meltdown, and Craze, among others. These products have been sold at GNC stores, and they contain the compounds that have not been approved for sale in the United States.

GNC is headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA. It boasts over 6,000 stores in the United States, and is one of the most ubiquitous health and sports nutrition supplement retailers in the country. The plaintiff in the lawsuit, Daniel Hubert, purchased the Dr. Hyde supplement at a GNC in Rockwell, TX. Hubert claims he discussed the product with GNC sales representatives when he considered buying the product in the store. The sales staff reviewed information about Dr. Hyde with him, and at no time make it known that the supplement contained ingredients that may not be lawfully used in the United States. Specifically, the illegal ingredients were picamilon and BMPEA.

Picamilon is a synthetic drug that was developed in the former Soviet Union. Currently, it is used to treat certain neurological conditions in Russia, but it has never been approved in the United States either over the counter or as a prescription. BMPEA likely affects blood pressure. It is a chemical similar to amphetamine. BMPEA is known as a sympathomimetic drug that affects the body in a similar way as adrenaline. In other countries, BMPEA is touted as a weight loss or performance-enhancing compound.

Hubert filed the suit against GNC representing class members who unknowingly purchased and used these supplements sold by the store that were marketed as safe. GNC claims they require third-party vendors to be “honest, ethical, reliable and capable of providing products that meet our high standards of quality.” Yet, GNC obtained and sold products from third-party vendors that the company knew, or should have known, contained ingredients that were not approved for sale in the United States, and may be unsafe.

 

Article Type: Lawsuit
Topic: Consumer
Tags: Deceptive Advertising, Deceptive Labels, Mislabeled Ingredients