[January 24, 2017]

MaxLabs US Study Finds 95% of Male Enhancement Supplements Unfit for U.S. Market

MaxLabs US, producer of IMPRESS!® Dietary Supplement for Men, analyzed 61 samples of single-serving male sexual enhancement supplements marketed in the U.S. to benchmark competitive offerings, but discovered significant fraudulence authorities and consumers should be aware of.

The observation that nearly 70% of the assessed male enhancement brands listed ingredient weights impossibly large for the provided capsule sizes triggered the analysis of ingredient weights. Some supplements claimed weights exceeding five times the capsules' typical capacity.

"We knew there were some troubled brands, but suspected major problems would be isolated - instead, almost every sample had at least one issue that [FDA and/or FTC (News - Alert) rules] should prevent the product's sale in the U.S. Facts such as the capacity of these capsules aren't something average consumers would know to consider; but often they're misled into thinking they are getting 80% more product than what's advertised on the packaging," stated MaxLabs US VP of Functional Health, Charles Kraft, R.N.

With respect to quantity of content, the study found 95% of the 61 male enhancement pills fell short of their labeled weight, with several brands >4,000mg below label claim- a vast disparity considering the empty capsules are known to accommodate about 900mg. Overall, 88.5% of underweight samples averaged 55.3% less ingredient than stated and three brands failed to list a weight as required.

Failure to provide accurate labeling demonstrates a dangerous contempt for FDA guidelines and industry best practices which prompted Maxabs US to expand the project to include identification of the parties responsible for these fraudulent male enhancement pills. Kraft relates, "We felt it highly improbable supplements labeled in this manner could originate from US-based, FDA & NSF-inspected plants."

Accountability is a major concern- Geller (NEJM 10/2015) revealed such supplements send thousands of Americans to the ER each year. The alleged untimely death of a Kansas City man after taking one of the investigated brands is a tragic example. To determine if accountability exists for the products in question, a juris doctorate-trained legal researcher investigated distributors and the owners of each UPC bar code.

The 39 brands listed 30 unique distributors. Research of pertinent government records confirmed 94% of listed distributors are unregistered, fictitious companies. The UPC barcode owners are a similar story with 85% of the UPC codes belonging to fictitious, unregistered entities. Other UPC codes included invalid, non-United States codes or returned no ownership information. In some cases, barcodes had been "hijacked"- A dairy cooperative and a plumbing parts company were both unaware their UPC's were being used on these products. Clearly, measures to avoid accountability for adverse events or quality issues have been taken in these cases.

Country of origin is important since Americans pay more for U.S.-made products to support the economy and attain higher quality product, along with the implied expectation of FDA oversight. 92% of the studied sexual enhancement products stated "Made in the USA" on the package or carried other indications of domestic origin such as an American flag. For most of the brands, U.S. production cannot be proven.

In reality, Chinese manufacturers including: Shenzhen Jinyuanquan Trading Co., Guangzhou Dongyao Trade Co. and DEX International Trading (HK) Co. export these deceptively-labeled brands in bulk with over 66% appearing on the "Made-in-China" and "Alibaba" trade portals. This aligns with the FDA's documented interceptions of adulterated sexual enhancement pills in international mail shipments. The Chinese producers publish product descriptions, often with pictures of their packaging invalidly adorned with the American flag.

Unfortunately, the fraudulent imports comprise most (and in some cases, all) of the supplement offerings at many U.S. retail outlets we visited. In addition to providing a fraction of the labeled content and no accountability, abuse of the "Made in the USA" label is yet another misleading marketing tactic being used on American consumers.

The full report with additional details can be found at the site of MaxLabs US' offering- IMPRESS!® Dietary Supplement for Men www.IMPRESS1600.com.

About MaxLabs US

MaxLabs US designs and markets premium quality nutraceuticals. With a business model built on Innovation, Quality & Value, the company is led by a core team possessing over 75 years' collective experience in business leadership, healthcare and medical devices. Their flagship brand, IMPRESS!® for Men, is comprised of eight branded bioactives. Quality assurance, testing, assembly and packaging of MaxLabs US products are U.S.-based. MaxLabs US is headquartered in Washington, MI USA.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170124006210/en/

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