Neuriva Brain Supplement Benefits Are Bogus, Class Action Lawsuit Says

The makers of Neuriva brain performance supplements face a class action lawsuit for deceptively marketing products that didn’t deliver a promised boost in brain power. 

Plaintiffs David Williams and Caroll Anglade allege the makers of Neuriva brain supplements “raced to bring Neuriva Original and Neuriva Plus to market in April 2019,” with claims of being “clinically proven to fuel brain performance.” 

The Neuriva brain supplement class action lawsuit claims that the defendants engaged in “deceptive conduct” to compete in an already saturated brain supplement market. 

Advertising and marketing of the Neuriva brain supplement touted special ingredients “backed by science” to “improve consumers’ focus, accuracy, memory, learning and concentration” but plaintiffs say the two main active ingredients in Neuriva brain supplements don’t “provide any meaningful benefit.”

“Defendants’ promises about Neuriva and their representations about Neuriva’s key ingredients are simply false or, in some instances, disturbingly misleading,” the class action lawsuit states. Furthermore, the class action lawsuit alleges the defendants exploited consumer “fears of cognitive decline.”

Coffee cherry extract and plant-sourced phosphatidylserine are the two main active ingredients found in Neuriva brain supplements but were renamed by the defendants to a brand-named ingredient, “Neurofactor” and “Sharp PS,” respectively. 

Defendants claim the coffee cherry extract in Neuriva brain supplements increases BDNF, a type of protein that influences brain function.

They also state that the second main ingredient, phosphatidylserine, has “been heavily researched” and known “to support nerve cells in the brain.” 

Plaintiffs, however, say these claims are not backed by science. “There is no scientific or clinical evidence, let alone scientific or clinical proof, that coffee cherry extract that is orally ingested will increase BDNF in the brain and/or increase brain performance.”

Both the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Global Council on Brain Health agree, with both agencies confirming there’s not enough evidence.  

In the class action lawsuit, the plaintiffs argue Neuriva brain supplements are loaded with this type of marketing.

•  “Did you know that nutrient-rich coffee cherry (also known as Neurofactor) is proven to increase levels of BDNF in the brain?” 
• “Let’s talk about Phosphatidylserine. Sharp PS, has been proven to support memory and learning in multiple clinical studies”

“The singular message throughout Defendants’ marketing of Neuriva is that Neuriva is scientifically and clinically proven, as a matter of fact, to increase brain performance,” according to the class action lawsuit. 

Plaintiffs argue that there is a general consensus of what constitutes proven science. 

“In order for a claim to be considered scientifically and clinically proven, as Defendants claim for Neuriva, the claim must be widely accepted in its applicable field and have overwhelming evidence supporting it. Moreover, there must be a consensus in the scientific community agreeing with the representations. Such consensus would require, at a minimum, sufficiently large, randomized, controlled, double-blind studies that have been scrutinized by peer review during the publication process and subjected to scholarly debate by diverse panels of scientific experts.”

Plaintiffs point to the blood-brain barrier. The Neuriva brain supplement has to be taken by mouth and absorbed into the bloodstream. These ingredients have to pass that barrier, but cite a Global Council on Brain Health study showing the evidence isn’t clear.

“Even after absorption into the blood, the liver can further break down the substance, and the blood-brain barrier – the natural gatekeeper of the brain – may keep out what is left. Usually it is not known how much – if any – of the supplement people take gets into the brain.” 

 The class action lawsuit details the extent of the alleged deceptive marketing included links to outside research studies on these compounds and brain health. Among the five cited works, two of them were conducted by employees of “Neurofactor,” the branded coffee cherry extract ingredient. The other three did not support defendant claims, according to the plaintiffs. 

The market for brain supplements brought in $3 billion in global sales in 2016. That number is expected to grow to $4.9 billion by 2025. Neuriva brain supplements have been on the market for 12 months and are a best seller on Amazon. 

Brain supplements are similar to sports or dietary pills in that they are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration. No official research has been done on these formulations beyond their safety as a food. A study from 2015 showed these types of supplements lead to at least 23,000 trips to the emergency room in the U.S. each year. 

Have you purchased Neuriva brain supplements? Let us know in the comments below. 

The plaintiff is represented by Rachel Soffin and Jonathan Cohen of Greg Coleman Law PC, Daniel K. Bryson, Martha Geer, and Patrick Wallace of Whitfield Bryson LLP, Matthew Schultz of Levin Papantonio Thomas Mitchell Rafferty & Proctor PA, and Nick Suciu of Barbat Mansour & Suciu PLLC.

The Neuriva Brain Supplement Class Action Lawsuit is David Williams and Caroll Anglade v. Reckitt Benckiser LLC and RB Health (US) LLC, Case No. 1:20-cv-23564 in the U.S. District Court of Florida.

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