“When Oregonians buy a dietary supplement, they deserve to know that the ingredients in the products are safe and comply with the law”. GNC was found to have sold products with AR in the ingredients as well as products that contain undisclosed BMPEA. Picamilon is a synthetic drug, according to the lawsuit, which was designed and developed by researchers in the former Soviet Union. The Attorney General also commended the work of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for their technical assistance in the investigation.
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The attorney general alleged that GNC sold over 3,000 products with picamilon in Oregon between January 2013 and June 2015, and as many as 500 products with BMPEA in the same period.
GNC and other companies knew about the BMPEA link with acacia. The effects, according to Forbes, include massively increased blood pressure, which puts undue stress on the heart and can induce cardiac arrest in vulnerable individuals.
Between the two substances, BMPEA is more unsafe, as it has never been tested on humans and its effects are largely unknown. It has never been tested for safety. It proceeded to remove all products under suspicion from the shelves of its stores. New York’s AG went after GNC in February, demanding the company – along with Target, Walmart and Walgreens – stop selling herbal supplements that don’t contain herbs.
Federal and state officials have been cracking down for years on allegedly natural supplements that contain hidden drug ingredients.
The illegal ingredients at the center of the issue are picamilon and BMPEA.
For the list of products containing picamilon, the state of Oregon pinpoints popular supplement Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, manufactured by Prosupps USA.
A spokesperson for the chain says GNC does not comment on pending litigation.
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The company said it was unable to reach an agreement with the Oregon attorney general.
