LifeVantage Corporation
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Dietary supplements, Multi-level marketing |
| Founded | 2003 |
| Headquarters | Salt Lake City , United States |
Key people | Darren Jensen (CEO), Mark Jaggi (executive) |
| Products | Protandim, TrueScience skincare line |
| Website | lifevantage |
Protandim is a proprietary herbal dietary supplement marketed by LifeVantage Corporation, a Utah-based company operating through a multi-level marketing model. Comprised of five botanical components, Protandim is promoted without asserting any ability to prevent or cure illnesses. In 2017, LifeVantage was issued an FDA warning letter due to unlawful promotional claims implying Protandim could treat conditions such as cancer and diabetes.
History
In 2003, Lifeline Therapeutics, headquartered in Denver, secured licensing rights from Massachusetts biotech firm CereMedix to distribute CMX-1152, an experimental peptide named "Protandim." CereMedix retained a 10% ownership in Lifeline and shared board members. The goal of CMX-1152 was to enhance antioxidant enzyme production and slow aging, but it did not reach commercial availability after clinical trials.
By 2004, Lifeline redirected its efforts toward a novel herbal formulation called "Protandim CF," created by employees Paul Myhill and William Driscoll, who hold the patent rights. This product combined five herbs, including turmeric and green tea extracts, launching in 2005. Myhill and Driscoll departed the company later that year.
Initially distributed through retail outlets such as GNC, LifeVantage (formerly Lifeline) transitioned to a multi-level marketing approach in 2009 following several years of financial losses. This change coincided with the appointment of David W. Brown—previously CEO of Metabolife—as CEO and president in 2008.
Manufacturing partnerships shifted over time: starting with The Chemins Company in 2005, then moving to Cornerstone Research & Development and Wasatch Product Development by 2008 for producing Protandim and associated skin care products marketed as TrueScience.
Biochemist Joe M. McCord joined LifeVantage’s board in 2006 as science director and later served as Chief Scientific Officer until 2012. He received compensation through salary and sales commissions before retiring in 2013 with a $1.7 million severance package. Shawn Talbott took over as chief science officer in 2014 but was replaced by Natalie Chevreau in 2015, who is credited with developing the TruScience skincare line.
This timeline reflects LifeVantage’s progression from product innovation and retail distribution to adopting a multi-level marketing structure under strategic leadership aimed at broadening market reach and global expansion.
Product invention
On July 21, 2011, LifeVantage acknowledged Dr. Joe McCord as the originator of Protandim on its official website. At a distributor event in 2011, McCord described how he refined an initial list of 41 potential ingredients down to the five that comprise Protandim. However, in March 2009, former LifeLine Therapeutics executive Paul Myhill disclosed that he initially developed the core formula and that McCord’s role was highlighted primarily for promotional reasons. In 2005, McCord himself wrote in a signed letter that he did not consider his input sufficient to claim inventorship, recognizing that Myhill and his team had largely conceptualized the product prior to their collaboration.
Composition
Protandim consists of a combination of five herbal extracts per tablet:[1]
- Milk thistle (Silybum marianum) extract standardized to 70–80% silymarin (225 mg)
- Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri) extract containing 45% bacosides (150 mg)
- Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera) powder (150 mg)
- Green tea (Camellia sinensis) extract standardized to 98% polyphenols and 45% EGCG (75 mg)
- Turmeric (Curcuma longa) extract standardized to 95% curcumin (75 mg)
Effectiveness
Claims made in marketing materials that Protandim can prevent or treat cancer lack scientific validation and have been classified as fraudulent by the FDA. Studies investigating its application for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis suffer from poor methodology, making it difficult to draw reliable conclusions regarding its effectiveness.
In 2011, Harriet A. Hall commented on Science-Based Medicine that there is insufficient evidence to endorse Protandim for disease treatment or prevention, anti-aging benefits, or enhancement of health and energy levels.
Side effects
According to the producer, Protandim may induce allergic reactions along with gastrointestinal symptoms such as abdominal pain, diarrhea, and vomiting. Other reported side effects include headaches and rashes on the hands and feet.
Protandim voluntary recall
LifeVantage initiated a voluntary recall in December 2012 involving specific batches totaling 247,896 bottles of Protandim due to the risk of contamination with tiny metal particles. This recall was expanded in February 2013 to cover additional lots, with the overall cost of the recall estimated at $5.9 million.
FDA Warning for Illegal Marketing
On April 17, 2017, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a warning letter to LifeVantage for unlawful promotional claims on its websites suggesting Protandim could cure diseases such as cancer and diabetes. These assertions breached Section 201(g)(1)(B) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act.
Legal Challenges
In 2009, LifeVantage resolved a legal dispute with Utah-based Zrii LLC by agreeing to pay $400,000 following accusations of conspiring with former Zrii executives to sabotage and acquire the company.
On October 14, 2011, former distributor Burke Hedges filed a lawsuit seeking $3 million against LifeVantage and its leadership for wrongful termination and tortious interference.
A class action lawsuit filed in 2016 alleged that LifeVantage and executives Darren Jensen and Mark Jaggi made misleading statements and failed to disclose significant information concerning internal financial controls and revenue reporting in overseas markets. This case was dismissed in June 2017.
In January 2018, another class action accused LifeVantage and senior executives including CEO Darren Jensen of operating an unlawful pyramid scheme in violation of RICO statutes, federal securities laws, and Connecticut trade regulations.
Promotional sponsorship
On October 29, 2013, Major League Soccer club Real Salt Lake announced a long-term, multimillion-dollar jersey-front sponsorship agreement with LifeVantage, effective from January 1, 2014. Beginning with the following season, Real Salt Lake jerseys featured the LifeVantage logo. In July 2015, Real Salt Lake owner Dell Loy Hansen acquired a 5.1 percent equity stake in LifeVantage, indicating strategic investment alignment between the company and the soccer franchise.
See also
External links
- LifeVantage Corporation, producer of Protandim
- Pursued by Protandim Proselytizers
- ↑ Velmurugan, Kalpana; Alam, Jawed; McCord, Joe M.; Pugazhenthi, Subbiah (2009). "Synergistic induction of heme oxygenase-1 by the components of the antioxidant supplement Protandim". Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 46 (3): 430–40. doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2008.10.050. PMID 19056485.