• A plaintiff has filed two class actions targeting a dietary supplement promoted as increasing GLP-1. One case is in federal court in New York, while the other is in California state court. Both cases allege false advertising. According to the complaints, Lemme, a brand co-founded by Kourtney Kardashian Barker, offers a product, Lemme GLP-1 Daily, which contains orange extract, saffron extract, and a clinically tested lemon extract.
• Among other advertising, the complaints point to a product webpage with the headline, “How GLP-1 your ‘un-hunger’ hormone works.” The explanation that follows notes, “GLP-1 helps you feel full and supports glucose metabolism. But factors like age, lifestyle, and diet can affect your body’s ability to produce GLP-1. That’s where we come in.” The complaints also identify social media posts with claims such as, “[T]his will increase your body’s natural GLP-1 level (promotes fat loss + reduces hunger).”
• The complaints concede that clinical studies exist on the lemon extract in Lemme GLP-1, but the complaints argue that the studies “rely on sample sizes that are far too small to derive valid statistical conclusions.” Also, according to the complaints, even if the studies were valid, after four months, results showed only a “17 percent” increase in GLP-1 and “failed to show any decrease in body weight, body-mass index (BMI), or waist/hip ratio.” The “number of calories consumed did not change” either.
• The complaints further allege “GLP-1 concentration in the blood increases by approximately 400% to 900% after eating”; thus, it “is unsurprising” that a “mere 17% increase in GLP-1 would have no discernible effect on caloric consumption, BMI, or weight loss.” The complaints also contend that a “1 mg weekly dose of Ozempic or Wegovy results in a concentration of synthetic GLP-1” that is “300,000% to 600,000% greater” than typical concentrations, with a “half-life of 7 days instead of 2 minutes.”
• Keller and Heckman will continue to monitor activity on advertising around GLP-1.