FDA, DOJ prevail against renegade supplement maker

SILVER SPRING, Md. — The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday announced the shut down of a California dietary supplement distributor. Regeneca Worldwide, also known as VivaCeuticals, has been ordered by a federal court to stop selling its products, which were found to contain unsafe ingredients including 1, 3-dimethylamylamine (DMAA).



The U.S. Department of Justice case against Regeneca was first reported in November of 2015, and was widely supported by mainstream industry associations.



U.S. District Judge Josephine Staton for the Central District of California entered a consent decree of permanent injunction yesterday between the United States and VivaCeuticals, doing business as Regeneca Worldwide, and its owner, Matthew Nicosia, a distributor of dietary supplements. The complaint, filed alongside seven other cases by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, sought a permanent injunction against Regeneca Worldwide for unlawfully distributing unapproved new drugs, and adulterated and misbranded dietary supplements.



DMAA is an amphetamine derivative that has been widely used in sports supplements sold in the United States. DMAA is often touted as a “natural” stimulant, with many claimed functional uses including as a body-building aid, an athletic performance enhancer, and a weight-loss aid. Although DMAA at one time was approved as a drug for nasal decongestion, no medical use of DMAA is recognized today.



DMAA narrows blood vessels and arteries, which can elevate blood pressure, and may lead to cardiovascular problems such as shortness of breath, arrhythmias, tightening in the chest, and heart attack, as well as seizures and other neurological and psychological conditions.



“Consumers have a right to expect safe dietary supplements,” said Melinda Plaisier, the FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs. “When a company continues to defraud and deceive consumers, risking public health, we will take action to protect the American public.”



The consent decree prohibits Regeneca from marketing unapproved new drugs, and adulterated and misbranded dietary supplements. Before Regeneca can resume operations, the company must, among other things, hire good manufacturing practice and labeling experts, implement procedures to comply with good manufacturing practice and labeling requirements and receive written permission from the FDA to resume operations. In addition, the decree requires Regeneca to destroy all remaining products.