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You may have heard that the longevity supplement NMN was banned as a dietary supplement in the United States by the FDA and is no longer able to be purchased; this is partly the case so I decided to put this article together to explain the chain of events of how and why it was banned, if you can still purchase the supplement and why was NMN banned by the FDA and importantly the most likely future of NMN as a dietary supplement in the US.
IN SHORT
- NMN is no longer allowed to be marketed as a dietary supplement by the FDA.
- Most US-based retailers continue to sell NMN.
- Amazon US has stopped selling NMN due to the FDA ruling.
- The Future? It’s most likely the FDA will exercise enforcement discretion (Similar to what was done with NAC), Allowing NMN to remain available in the USA.
Which Companies Still Sell NMN in or to the USA?
While the status of NMN in the US is unclear, the majority of companies selling NMN before the FDA ruling still have it for sale. Below are some trusted brands that are either US or overseas-based and still sell in the US.
Current NMN Legal Status
The FDA’s stance has significantly altered the landscape for NMN supplements, particularly with the development of Metro International Biotech’s (Metro Biotech) proprietary form of NMN, known as MIB-626. Co-founded by Dr. David Sinclair, Metro Biotech has lobied the FDA to enact the drug preclusion clause for NMN.
The drug preclusion clause prohibits substances that have been investigated as new drugs from being marketed as dietary supplements. Consequently, Metro Biotech’s advancement of MIB-626 has directly led to the FDA’s ban on NMN as a dietary supplement in the United States.
Originally, the FDA had allowed the sale of NMN as a New Dietary Ingredient (NDI). However, in November 2022, the FDA reversed this decision, citing NMN’s status as being under investigation as a drug.
This means that consumers are no longer able to legally purchase NMN as a dietary supplement, as the FDA’s ruling has effectively classified it under the jurisdiction of pharmaceutical drugs due to Metro Biotech’s actions. While some US based supplement companies have ceased their NMN sales in compliance with the ban, others are challenging the FDA’s decision, leaving consumers in a state of uncertainty about accessing NMN and incorporating it into our health routines.
I have documented the significant events associated with the FDA ban of NMN in the timeline below. What is missing is the date that Metro Biotech applied to the FDA for an Investigational New Drug (IND) application. The FDA has stated that they don’t make this information publicly available.
There has been significant pushback against the FDA’s decision. For example, the Natural Products Association (NPA) and Alliance for Natural Health USA submitted a request to the FDA asking not to exclude NMN under the definition of a dietary supplement. The FDA, however, cited “competing agency priorities” for not reaching a decision on this petition.
The Role of NDI Notifications and the FDA’s Response: Companies must file a New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) notification with the FDA to label a product as a supplement. Although the FDA’s explicit approval isn’t required, objections from the FDA can preclude a compound’s designation as a supplement. The FDA had acknowledged an NDI notification from SyncoZymes (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. without objection in May 2022, but later, in response to another NDI notification, they changed their stance on NMN.
Consumer Access to NMN
Many readers quest for NMN has hit a roadblock with the FDA’s recent ruling, but I’m discovering that consumers, including readers of this website have reported they can still access the supplement. While the FDA has put a pause on NMN being marketed as a dietary supplement, I’ve learned that the question, ‘Is NMN legal in USA?’ isn’t a simple yes or no.
While Amazon has flat out banned the sale of NMN on their US website, unless the brand can provide an FDA approved National Drug Code (NDC), many US based NMN brands are still marketing and selling NMN, defying the notion that NMN is banned by the FDA, a few of the big US supplement brands still selling NMN include Renue by Science, ProHealth Longevity, Wonderfeel and Elysium Health.
Future of NMN Availability
Looking into the crystal ball, I’m zeroing in on the various factors that’ll determine whether NMN supplements will remain accessible to consumers in the long run. It’s a bit of a pickle, really. With the FDA’s recent stance, I’m left wondering what will be the next step from the FDA and Metro Biotech.
Right now, it’s all up in the air, as it’s still available, but the FDA hasn’t said much since news of the ban broke in November 2022; it could go either of a few ways as I have outlined below:
- The FDA could maintain the current status quo.
- The FDA could do as they had done with N-Acetyl Cysteine (NAC) and enact enforcement discretion allowing the marketing and sale of NMN eventhough it’s being investigated as a new drug via a Investigational New Drug (IND) application by Metro Biotech.
- Finally the FDA could start enforcing the ban, meaning US based consumers may need to look overseas to obtain this NMN.
Personally myself and many in the longevity and biohacking community are hoping the FDA will enact enforcement discretion allowing the marketing and sale of NMN in the United States.
Is NMN Still Available from Amazon US
In early Feburary 2023 Amazon sent emails to it’s resellers of NMN stating that from Monday 13 March 2023 NMN would be banned from sale on its US website. While this is bad news for most consumers I beleive it was a great news as their platfrom was already plagued with NMN of dubious quality and purity. Infact one report found that at least 75% of NMN sold on Amazon was either not NMN, or not of the quality and purity specified on the label.
Here’s a few of the key highlights on the availability of NMN from Amazon US:
- Is NMN legal in the US? Yes, but the FDA’s new drug investigation into b-nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) means it can’t be sold as a dietary supplement.
- Why is NMN no longer available on Amazon US? Because sellers now need an NDC, and Amazon has enforced this ruling.
- Can NMN be legally purchased online? It’s murky, but some vendors might still offer it, just not on mainstream platforms like Amazon.
- Support NAD levels without NMN? People are looking for alternative ways to support their nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD) levels without NMN this includes switching to other NAD precurcors such as Nicotinamide Riboside (NR).
Related Articles and Resources
If you are interested more information on NMN and Longevity, I have hand picked some of our top articles so that you can dig deeper into topic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is NMN Being Taken off the Market?
No while it is offically banned as being sold as a dietary supplement in the US, its still widely available I believe this to remain the case for the short to medium term. In the long term I am unsure how this ban will play out.
Can You Legally Buy NMN?
Yes there is nothing illegal about purchasing NMN as a supplement in the USA. While the offical status is that it’s banned for sale as a supplement it’s not the person purchasing NMN that will be penalized if the FDA decides to crack down on the sale of NMN as a dietary supplement.
Is NMN Still Sold on Amazon?
No not on Amazon US, very early after the ban was anounced, Amazon banned NMN for sale on their US site.