GNC Holdings To Pay $2.25M Settlement For Misbranded Dietary Supplements

The sale of OxyELITE Pro Advanced Formula by GNC in its stores in 2013, has cost the company $2.25M.  GNC Holdings, the world's largest dietary supplement retailer agreed to pay said amount to avoid federal prosecution due to the sale of misbranded dietary supplement, the Justice Department said Wednesday.

According to CBS News, OxyELITE Pro Advanced Formula is a dietary supplement which is said to contain plant-based products when it actually contains synthetic stimulants from China.  It is made by a Dallas-based USP Labs which was indicted in November 2015 in a Dallas federal court.  According to the Justice Department, USP Labs is involved in importing ingredients from China with false certificates of analysis and false labels.   Lab operators are yet waiting for trial.

As part of the settlement with the government, GNC Holdings has committed to improving some of their practices.  The company vowed not to sell products the FDA has issued public warnings about.  They are also to establish a list of "acceptable" and non-acceptable" dietary supplement ingredients. 

This agreement with the government is a guarantee of the company's "full compliance" with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.  And most importantly, GNC is determined to come up with a quality seal program that will become a standard in this industry.

GNC representative said that USP Labs products are no longer on the shelves of its stores years ago and that USP provided them "false assurances" of its products.  They are pleased the issue of misbranded supplements has been resolved. 

Benjamin C. Mizer, principal deputy assistant attorney general of the Justice Department said, "Unlawful dietary supplements are an important enforcement priority." Another senior Justice Department official said that "it is a significant step forward in reforming an industry rife with alarming practices."

GNC says it remains committed to maintaining vigorous compliance policies, procedures and holding third-party vendors as well as suppliers accountable for those standards.