A federal court has ordered two Utah-based nutrition companies to stop making and selling their supplements, the Department of Justice announced Thursday.
St. George-based Evig LLC, better known as Balance of Nature, and Premium Productions LLC have both agreed to be bound by consent decrees of permanent injunction as part of their respective settlements with the Justice Department.
In two separate complaints filed by the DOJ in October, the companies were accused of violating the federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act.
In Evig's case, the complaint alleges the company claimed their dietary supplementscould cure, treat and prevent a number of conditions and diseases, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and COVID-19. The complaint also alleges the supplements were never approved by the Food and Drug Administration, nor were they exempt from approval under the terms of the FDCA.
The complaint also alleges FDA inspections found the company had no system in place for handling customer complaints, despite receiving reports the products may have caused allergic reactions from ingredients not identified on the product labels.
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For Premium Productions, the Justice Department alleges in their complaint that the company did not follow required manufacturing practices and failed to develop adequate operating quality control procedures, making their products adulterated under the FDCA.
Both companies had been served warning letters by the FDA back in August 2019, and both complaints argue the companies failed to take steps to come into compliance.
On the same day of the announcement, Evig posted both a written and video statement on the company's website, saying they're committed to full compliance with FDA regulations.
"[Evig] will continue to work with independent experts who will regularly assess the company's compliance with relevant regulations and issue recommendations," the statement reads in part. "The company will develop and implement additional actions as needed and will update the FDA accordingly."
This story was originally published by Stephen Romney at Scripps News Salt Lake City.
