GNC Plunges After Oregon Says Unapproved Drugs in Supplement
- Picamilon described as Russian prescription neurological drug
- Oregon says BMPEA is synthetic drug similar to amphetamine
Bottles of GNC Holdings Inc. vitamin bottles.
Photographer: Jin Lee/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
GNC Holdings Inc., the chain of health and wellness stores, plummeted as much as 21 percent after Oregon sued the company, claiming it sold supplements made with illegal ingredients.
Ellen Rosenblum, the state’s attorney general, said Thursday the company’s nutritional and dietary supplements were laced with unapproved drugs. One is picamilon, a Russian prescription medicine for neurological conditions, and the other is BMPEA, which was first synthesized in the 1930s as a replacement for amphetamines and never studied in humans, according to the state’s complaint.