The anti-aging guru and founder of the company trying to take away your NMN supplements finally spoke out over the controversy. Action Alert!
At the end of last year, we told you about the FDA’s determination that NMN, an important, naturally occurring anti-aging molecule, is not a legal supplement. Why? Because, in the FDA’s view, a drug company (MetroBiotech) started investigating NMN as a drug before it was sold as a supplement. David Sinclair, PhD, who co-founded MetroBiotech and who is an outspoken proponent of NMN’s role in anti-aging, released a statement on the FDA’s action against NMN supplements. While Sinclair seems to be distancing himself from MetroBiotech, he also states his support for NMN coming to the market as a drug, we assume because he is an investor in MetroBiotech and likely stands to make a fortune if NMN comes to market as a monopoly drug. We cannot let this happen.
There is an unfortunate irony to this situation. David Sinclair is a prominent longevity researcher and is widely respected in the anti-aging community. Many people listen to what he says and follow his anti-aging regimen. This protocol includes NMN, which is currently available as a dietary supplement. Sinclair proselytizes about the benefits of NMN, while the company he co-founded is working to ban the supplement form. This move left many in the anti-aging community confused: why would Sinclair, who genuinely seems interested in anti-aging research and helping people to live longer and healthier lives, be part of such an overtly greedy move?
In his statement, Sinclair distances himself from MetroBiotech: “The FDA’s decision [that NMN is not a legal supplement] was preceded by a letter from MetroBiotech, a company I co-founded but do not manage or control, pointing out that the company had begun clinical trials [on NMN].” But later on, he states:
The important work of bringing NMN to market as an FDA-approved medication is in the best interest of the tens of millions of people who suffer from and will succumb to aging-related diseases. The FDA standards for testing, quality control, and efficacy are among the most responsible consumer protection regulations in the world. All consumers deserve the trust, safety and reliability that comes with appropriate regulation and oversight.
Our translation: don’t blame me for MetroBiotech’s maneuver to secure a monopoly on NMN, but it’s a good thing NMN is becoming a drug because drugs are safer than supplements—a claim that we’ve debunked many times and is contradicted by the fact that, by all accounts, Sinclair himself takes NMN and other supplements.
David Sinclair co-founded and serves as the head of MetroBiotech’s Scientific Advisory Board. He is also an investor in the company. It would be difficult to believe that he had nothing to do with the company’s decision to try to corner the NMN market. His many YouTube videos provide some insight. In them, Sinclair hints at what the future may hold for anti-aging. With NMN and other emerging therapies, we are developing the ability to control the rate of aging. Consider Sinclair’s statement from a TED talk in Boston: “When we can reset our age by a couple of years…if we do that every year, even just set your age back one year every year, what happens? Things then get really interesting.” And profitable, if you own a monopoly on the therapy!
NMN becoming a monopoly drug would be a huge loss to consumers. NMN is the most effective precursor to NAD, which represents the cutting edge of lifespan and health span research. NMN has been found to suppress age-associated weight gain, enhance energy metabolism and physical activity, improve insulin sensitivity, improve eye function, and improve mitochondrial health. This is a nutrient that should be widely available, not offered up to one company to monopolize.
We’re asking members of Congress to sponsor a bill that would prevent NMN from being banned as a supplement. Help us get the word out far and wide to Congressional members!
Action Alert! Write to Congress and tell them to sponsor a bill that would prevent NMN from being banned as a supplement. Please send your message immediately.
