The revelations stem from the latest round of the company's product monitoring program, which has found more than 150 products tested to date have been labeled “substandard” related to issues with potency, labeling, contamination, adulteration and heavy metal levels. revealed “mysterious'' or “terrible'' results. In the case of Berberine, tests revealed “alarming quality deficiencies” in some brands procured from the two retail giants last month.
“We purchased two bottles of each product from 33 brands, including NOW, sold on both Amazon and Walmart.com,” said Dan Richard, vice president of global sales and marketing for NOW Health Group. Ta. “It was clear even before testing that many brands were misrepresenting potency on their front label panels, and many others were making questionably high potency claims.”
NOW says it has chosen to focus on lesser-known brands sold almost exclusively on these platforms because health food store and practitioner brands have historically been less questionable. .
Capitalize on the berberine hype
Berberine is a yellow alkaloid compound found in plants such as golden seal, barberry, and Oregon grape that has been linked to blood sugar, cholesterol, cardiovascular, and anti-inflammatory properties and was popularized on social media as a natural sub in weight loss drugs earlier this year. quickly became famous. Ozempic.
According to market research firm SPINS, chatter spiked in January and reached true virality on TikTok in May ( #naturesOzempic) and mainstream media in June. At the time, NOW told NutraIngredients-USA that he saw sales of berberine increase by 623% by the time it was out of stock.
“Rapid growth in popularity may create opportunities for fraudulent sellers to make cash by offering inferior or adulterated products,” NOW said. “This has also proven to be true with berberine.”
Berberine supplements are usually made in the form of hydrochloride (HCl) obtained from extracts of berberine. Barberry aristata For the bark, berberine HCl dihydrate is typically used as a source of 85-90% potency.
“This means that if a brand claims 500 mg of berberine on the label and it is in the form of HCl, the supplier must enter 550-575 mg of berberine HCl dihydrate to meet the label claim. “Berberine HCl 500 mg (Berberine HCl Dihydrate from 550 mg).
test results
NOW used high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with ultraviolet light detection (HPLC-UV) to generate internal reports on the quality and presence of berberine in each product tested. We also sent one unopened bottle of each brand to an independent botanical testing laboratory, Alkemist Labs, for HPLC testing.
“Results from this round of testing showed seriously low levels of potency, with all brands testing below 100% potency, with the exception of NOW,” the natural product manufacturer reported. “Seven brands contained 80% or more of their labeled potency, and three brands contained 90-97% potency.”
In addition, 18 brands contained less than 40% of their claimed potency, and seven of the first-time police program candidates enrolled berberine with a potency of 1% or less. A quick search reveals that all 33 brands have a 4-star rating and are currently available for purchase on Amazon.
NOW has previously tested some of the same brands in other categories (astaxanthin, bromelain, curcumin, magnesium glycinate, quercetin, CoQ10, glutathione, acetyl-1-carnitine, ALA, phosphatidylserine, SAMe) and found similar It added that it had detected a problem. The report found that more than 80% of products tested failed potency tests, with one brand having the “worst potency testing record of all brands, failing eight different product tests.” He emphasized thatTest result details Published on the NOW website.
“The unusual part about this industry, which primarily exists on Amazon's platform, is that the industry is unregulated and the products are untested and safe,” said Elan Sadberg, CEO of Alchemist Labs. “It undermines efforts to counter the false narrative that this is not the case.” “It's frustrating that the FDA and Amazon aren't effectively policing what's being sold! The Alchemist is working with NOW to ensure we're meeting you, we're testing your products,” And I'm honored to send the message that the truth will be exposed.”
no response
Despite sharing the results of each round with Amazon, Walmart, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), NOW continues to report that the same failed brands continue to be widely sold on Amazon and have never received a single response. , stated that there were no visible changes. , and often as a “sponsored” or promoted brand. ”
“We hope that once NOW presents an independent analysis of the product with zero potency, at least that product will be removed from sale,” Richard said. “It would be better to retest the product and recall the product if it comes back to zero. No such behavior has occurred.”
Dr. Daniel Fabricant, CEO and Chairman of the Natural Products Association, reiterated that this is not the first time the FDA has become aware of these issues.
“We have been sending them test data from NOW foods like this for years,” he said. “Their response so far has been to sit on the sidelines, which is disappointing for everyone and sends a signal that they have no interest in this industry.”
In response to NutraIngredients-USA's investigation into NOW's response to berberine test results, the FDA stated that product integrity is one of FDA's strategic priorities for dietary supplements and that “ineffective or “Product reports indicate product integrity issues.” .
“We appreciate the efforts of our stakeholders to raise awareness of these issues, and FDA incorporates these types of reports into our work planning process,” an FDA spokesperson said. “If FDA determines that a dietary supplement is adulterated or misbranded, we will take appropriate action, including recalls, issuing warning letters, and enforcement actions, depending on available resources. Masu.”
Amazon and Walmart.com have not yet responded to requests for comment.
