Protocols by Charles Sieg

Companies

The companies behind what I take

Who makes each product I take and the lab service I use, who owns them, what an outside certifier or the FDA's public record shows, and who paid for the research they lean on.

55 sourcesReviewed November 5, 2026

A profile of a company is not evidence that its product works. This page covers who makes each thing I take, who owns them, what an outside certifier or the FDA's public record shows, and who paid for the studies they lean on. The research on each product is on its own page. Everything here is as of November 2026.

The short version

  • Three of the supplement brands belong to larger groups: Optimum Nutrition to Glanbia, Pure Encapsulations to Nestlé Health Science, and Integrative Therapeutics to the Schwabe group1,2,3. The U.S. rights to Nuvigil moved to an Apotex affiliate in January 20254.
  • NSF Certified for Sport's searches turned up two Optimum Nutrition whey proteins and one Pure Encapsulations creatine5,6, and none of the products I take; the search for each brand is cited in its section below.
  • People tied to the company wrote or paid for key papers behind fatty15 (Seraphina), Theracurmin (Theravalues), and retatrutide (Eli Lilly)7,8,9.
  • My searches of fda.gov pages turned up no warning letter or recall for any product I take. Lilly has three 2025 warning letters about promotion of a different drug, and Optimum Nutrition has a 2002 letter and a retracted 2022 one10,11,12. A search like that is not proof there are none.

How I checked

  • Certifications. I searched NSF Certified for Sport's product search by brand. Informed Choice's certified-brand page didn't show its brand list in the copy I saved, so I can't say which of these brands it certifies13, and I couldn't check USP's verified-product list. Supplement certifiers don't apply to the two drugs or to Direct Labs.
  • FDA. I searched fda.gov pages by company name and read the FDA's recalls page, whose newest entry was dated 11/03/2026 and which says not every recall is posted there14. I couldn't run the warning-letter database's own search, so "none found" below means none turned up in my search of fda.gov pages, not that there are none.
  • Ownership and history. Company pages, press releases, trade press, and FDA and DailyMed records. Where a source is a trade article, a news report, or a third-party listing, I say so.

Magic Mind

  • Founded and by whom. The brand launched in March 2020, and its co-founders are James Beshara and William Hicks, per a 2026 FoodNavigator-USA article15.
  • Headquarters. The site's footer gives a Venice, California, address for 10000 Inc and says that company owns the Magic Mind trademarks; it doesn't call the address a headquarters16.
  • Parent company. None stated on the pages I read.
  • What I take.Magic Mind. The line comes in Free (0 mg caffeine), Original (55 mg), and MAXX (165 mg)17.
  • Quality claims. The FAQ says the formulas are "third-party tested and certified safe from PFAS, BPA, BPS, and BPF" without naming the lab, and offers a certificate of analysis on request17. The science page says third-party labs test for over 56 contaminants and calls the products "LabProof certified"; I didn't check LabProof's own site18. NSF Certified for Sport's search returned nothing for Magic Mind19.
  • FDA. No warning letter or recall found in my search of fda.gov pages.
  • Research ties. The company's own study surveyed 82 participants at baseline, day 30, and day 60 on self-reported outcomes, and the page doesn't say who funded it18. The same page names a five-member Scientific Advisory Board, without saying whether its members are paid, and lists 118 references to ingredient studies18.

Seraphina Therapeutics (fatty15)

  • Founded and by whom. The company's page names Stephanie Venn-Watson and Eric Venn-Watson as co-founders and co-CEOs, and lists board chair Kim Kamdar and senior scientist Nicholas Schork as co-founders20. I didn't find a founding year. In 2020 a trade magazine called Stephanie the CEO and Eric the COO21.
  • Headquarters. San Diego, per a 2020 trade article22.
  • Parent company and funding. No parent stated. Domain Associates led its Series A, reported as $5.5 million by one trade outlet and $6.2 million by another21,22.
  • What I take.fatty15. One capsule holds 100 mg of FA15, a pure C15:0 powder23.
  • Quality claims. The company calls its ingredient GRAS, says it is made under cGMP at FDA-registered food facilities and tested to at least 98% purity, and says the product is third-party tested, with no lab named23. NSF Certified for Sport's search returned nothing for fatty1524.
  • FDA. No warning letter or recall found in my search of fda.gov pages.
  • Research ties. The home page says "Developed by doctors, funded by the Navy"25. The 2020 Scientific Reports paper that asked whether C15:0 is an essential fatty acid discloses that Venn-Watson co-founded and works for Seraphina, which "financed studies in this paper" and holds exclusive licensing rights from the U.S. Navy7. A 2022 cell study was funded by the Office of Naval Research, and its lead author draws a salary from Seraphina, which licenses the related patents26. A 2023 paper adds that Schork co-founded and consults for Seraphina27. A UC San Diego trial (30 young adults with overweight or obesity, 200 mg a day of C15:0 or placebo for 12 weeks) was partly funded by the NIH and also supported by Seraphina, which supplied the C15:0 and the placebo28.

JOYLI Nutrition (L-tyrosine gummies)

"myjoyli" is JOYLI Nutrition. That identification is a match on the name: JOYLI Nutrition's site sells L-Tyrosine Gummies 1000MG29.

  • Founded, founders, headquarters, parent. None stated. The site lists no legal entity or address and says only that the website is "independently owned and operated"29,30.
  • What I take. The L-Tyrosine Gummies 1000MG. The site's buy buttons link to Amazon29.
  • Quality claims. The about page says the company tests "rigorously for purity and potency" and lists third-party testing among its values, with no lab or certificate named31. NSF Certified for Sport's search returned nothing for JOYLI32.
  • FDA. No warning letter or recall found in my search of fda.gov pages.
  • Research ties. None cited on the pages I read.

Integrative Therapeutics (Theracurmin HP)

  • Founded and by whom. Formed in 2000 when four brands joined: Vitaline (founded 1975 by Jed Meese, PhD), NF Formulas (1978, Bruce Canvasser, ND), PhytoPharmica (1981, Terry Lemerond), and Tyler Encapsulations (1987, co-founded by Corey Resnick, ND)33.
  • Parent company. The Schwabe group. The Theracurmin HP page says the Theracurmin trademark is used under license by Schwabe North America, Inc.3. A 2013 trade article lists Integrative Therapeutics as one of Schwabe North America's three brands34, and Nature's Way, which names Schwabe as its parent, lists Integrative Therapeutics among its brands35.
  • Headquarters. Its own pages don't give one. Schwabe North America was based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, in 201334, and Nature's Way calls Green Bay its headquarters35.
  • What I take.Theracurmin HP.
  • Quality claims. The company says every product is tested for potency and purity in its own lab, and names no outside certification33. NSF Certified for Sport's search returned nothing for the brand36.
  • FDA. No warning letter or recall found in my search of fda.gov pages.

Theravalues, the maker of Theracurmin

  • Theravalues Corporation was founded in July 2007 and is headquartered in Tokyo. It launched Theracurmin as a raw material in Asia in August 2010 and in North America in March 2011, and became a subsidiary of Handok, a South Korean drug company, in December 201637.
  • Research ties. The 2011 study behind the "27-fold" absorption figure found Theracurmin's blood exposure 27 times that of curcumin powder in healthy volunteers given 30 mg, and its first author lists a Theravalues affiliation8. Theravalues and Integrative Therapeutics both repeat the figure38,3. A UCLA trial gave Theracurmin (90 mg of curcumin twice daily) or placebo to 40 adults without dementia for 18 months, with NIH grants listed; I didn't see its disclosure statement, and its abstract doesn't say it used the HP version39.

Pure Encapsulations (SR-CoQ10 with PQQ)

  • Founded and by whom. Founded in the early 1990s by two brothers, the Hamels, with roots in a watermill in Willington, Connecticut, per a 2024 trade article2. The brand's site says it has spent "the last 30 years" developing its line40.
  • Parent company. Nestlé Health Science. Atrium Innovations bought Pure Encapsulations in 2004 for over $37 million, and Nestlé Health Science bought Atrium in 2017 for $2.3 billion, per the same article2. A September 1, 2026 Bloomberg report on Nestlé's plan to sell its mainstream vitamin business to Yellow Wood Partners says Nestlé called itself well positioned in premium vitamins, a sector that includes brands such as Solgar and Pure Encapsulations41.
  • Headquarters. Not stated in the sources I could read.
  • What I take.SR-CoQ10 with PQQ.
  • Quality claims. NSF's company listing shows Pure Encapsulations certified to NSF/ANSI 455-2, a good manufacturing practices standard for dietary supplements, with no products named42. NSF Certified for Sport lists one Pure Encapsulations product, a creatine sold in Canada, and no CoQ10 or PQQ product6.
  • FDA. No warning letter or recall found in my search of fda.gov pages.

Optimum Nutrition (HMB and creatine gummies)

  • Founded and by whom. Founded in 1986 by brothers Tony and Mike Costello43.
  • Headquarters. A July 2016 company release put its global headquarters in Downers Grove, Illinois1. I didn't find a newer statement.
  • Parent company. Glanbia plc, which bought the brand in 20081,43.
  • What I take.HMB, which Optimum Nutrition sells as HMB Caps44, and its Creatine Gummies45.
  • Quality claims. NSF Certified for Sport's search for the brand returned two products, Gold Standard 100% Whey in Double Rich Chocolate and in Vanilla Ice Cream5, and its search for HMB showed no Optimum Nutrition product on the results page I saved46.
  • FDA. On May 7, 2002, the FDA's Chicago District Office sent a warning letter to the president of Optimum Nutrition, Inc., of Aurora, Illinois, calling stevia an unapproved food additive and citing unauthorized health claims for a soy protein product and claims in a whey protein supplement's labeling11. I haven't confirmed that firm is the same legal entity as today's brand. In May 2022 the FDA sent a warning letter to Glanbia, then retracted it, saying the website selling the cited products had wrongly claimed to belong to Optimum Nutrition and that Glanbia doesn't sell them12. No recall found in my search of fda.gov pages.
  • Research ties. None cited for HMB on the pages I read.

Nuvigil: Cephalon and Teva, then Apotex

  • Who holds the application. As of November 2026, Drugs@FDA lists NUVO PHARMS as the company for NDA 021875 (Nuvigil), first approved on 06/15/200747. On January 9, 2025, Apotex, which is headquartered in Toronto, announced that its affiliate Nuvo Pharmaceuticals (Ireland) DAC had acquired the U.S. rights to Provigil and Nuvigil4.
  • Where Teva fits. A May 2025 DailyMed label packaged by Cephalon, LLC reads "Manufactured for: Teva Pharmaceuticals, Parsippany, NJ"48, and a September 2026 Apotex Corp. label reads "Manufactured for: Apotex Corp. Weston, Florida"49. The announcement doesn't say who held the rights before, so I haven't confirmed Teva's role4.
  • What it is. The label says Nuvigil improves wakefulness in adults with excessive sleepiness from obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or shift work disorder, and Drugs@FDA lists it as a prescription drug49,47. I take Nuvigil.
  • FDA warning letters and recalls. My search of fda.gov pages found no warning letter about armodafinil to Apotex, Nuvo, Cephalon, or Teva, which isn't proof there are none. These are large companies with long records, and I didn't review their company-wide history.
  • Research ties. I didn't review who sponsored the trials behind the label.

Eli Lilly (retatrutide)

  • History and headquarters. Lilly's July 2026 press release says the company has been "pioneering life-changing discoveries for 150 years" and gives its stock listing as NYSE: LLY50. FDA letters to the company are addressed to Lilly Corporate Center, Indianapolis10.
  • Parent company. None; it is a publicly traded company50.
  • What I take.Retatrutide. As of November 2026 it is not approved. Lilly's July 23, 2026 press release, which is not peer-reviewed, calls it "an investigational molecule that cannot be legally sold or marketed for human use" and says Lilly plans to submit a Biologics License Application to the FDA in Q1 202750.
  • FDA warning letters. On September 9, 2025, the FDA's drug center sent Lilly's CEO three warning letters about online promotional videos for Zepbound (one also covering Mounjaro), both tirzepatide, finding the videos false or misleading and not submitted on Form FDA-225310,51,52. None concerns retatrutide. I didn't check Lilly's recall history beyond the FDA's recent recall list14.
  • Research ties. Lilly paid for the key trials, and Lilly employees are among the authors. The 2023 phase 2 trial in NEJM enrolled 338 adults; at 48 weeks weight fell 24.2% on 12 mg versus 2.1% on placebo, and the abstract says "Funded by Eli Lilly"53. The phase 3 TRIUMPH-1 trial, published in NEJM in 2026, randomized 2,339 adults with obesity and no diabetes; at 80 weeks weight fell 25.0% on 12 mg versus 3.9% on placebo, again Lilly-funded with Lilly-affiliated authors9. I haven't found an independent replication.

Direct Labs (directlabs.com)

The company facts below rest on one third-party listing, a lab-test price-comparison site, because Direct Labs' own FAQ, help, terms, and lab-locator pages wouldn't load for me. They may be out of date, and Direct Labs' own pages are the authority54.

  • Founded and by whom. The listing says Direct Laboratory Services was founded in 1993 by John Bell, and gives the company as Direct Laboratory Services, LLC, of Mandeville, Louisiana54.
  • How ordering works. Per the listing, no physician or insurance order is required, customers order a test as in any online store, a MyDLS account shows orders and results and prints the requisition, and results don't become part of a medical record unless the law requires it54.
  • Where blood is drawn. The listing names Quest Diagnostics, with more than 2,000 locations54, and Direct Labs' own test pages name Quest as the lab for at least some tests55.
  • States it can't serve. Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island, because local laws don't allow direct-access testing, per the listing54.
  • FDA. No warning letter or recall found in my search of fda.gov pages.
  • Which tests. The Direct Labs tests I cover, and what their results predict, are on Lab tests worth knowing.

References

  1. Optimum Nutrition (PR Newswire). Prominent Sports Nutrition Brand Optimum Nutrition Celebrates Thirty Years. PR Newswire, July 13, 2016.ArticleRead

    What it found: A July 13, 2016 company release datelined Downers Grove, Illinois, saying Optimum Nutrition was established in 1986, is owned by Glanbia plc (which acquired it in 2008), and has its global headquarters in Downers Grove, Illinois.

    Limits: A 2016 release, so the headquarters is as of 2016; it does not name the founders.

  2. Sherman A. Pure Encapsulations enters retail, launches into The Vitamin Shoppe. NutraIngredients, March 8, 2024.ArticleRead

    What it found: Trade report that Pure Encapsulations, founded in the early 1990s, was acquired by Atrium Innovations in 2004 and is now owned by Nestlé Health Science, which bought Atrium in 2017, and that it was previously reserved for health care practitioners and select ecommerce channels.

    Limits: A trade article; it gives no headquarters.

  3. Integrative Therapeutics. Theracurmin® HP | Integrative Therapeutics®. Integrative Therapeutics (integrativepro.com), 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: The maker's product page: a serving is 2 capsules providing 600 mg of Theracurmin curcumin extract in both the 60- and 120-capsule sizes, with company claims that it is over 27 times more bioavailable than a standard curcumin extract (citing Sasaki 2011 and Sunagawa 2015) and supports detoxification pathways, cardiovascular function, and muscle recovery, plus the standard statement that the claims have not been evaluated by the FDA.

    Limits: Company marketing copy; the "27 times" figure comes from small absorption studies, the page is undated, and it shows no Amazon link, only a sign-in order page.

  4. Apotex Inc. (announcement hosted by SK Capital Partners). Apotex acquires US rights to PROVIGIL (modafinil) and NUVIGIL (armodafinil). SK Capital Partners website, January 9, 2025.ArticleRead

    What it found: A January 9, 2025 Toronto announcement that Apotex's affiliate Nuvo Pharmaceuticals (Ireland) DAC has acquired the United States rights to Provigil and Nuvigil; it describes Apotex as headquartered in Toronto.

    Limits: A company announcement; it does not say who held the rights before or the price, and it makes no ownership claim about SK Capital.

  5. NSF International. NSF Certified for Sport: certified product search for "optimum nutrition". nsfsport.com, November 5, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: The certifier's own search returned two Optimum Nutrition products, Gold Standard 100% Whey in Double Rich Chocolate and in Vanilla Ice Cream, and no HMB or creatine product.

    Limits: A keyword search on 11/05/2026; the page prints a contradictory "No results matched your filter selections" line, and the listing changes with lot testing.

  6. NSF International. NSF Certified for Sport: certified product search for "pure encapsulations". nsfsport.com, November 5, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: The certifier's own search returned one Pure Encapsulations product, Pure Encapsulations Creatine (Canada), and no CoQ10 or PQQ product.

    Limits: A keyword search on 11/05/2026; the page prints a contradictory "No results matched your filter selections" line.

  7. Venn-Watson S, Lumpkin R, Dennis EA. Efficacy of dietary odd-chain saturated fatty acid pentadecanoic acid parallels broad associated health benefits in humans: could it be essential?. Scientific Reports. 2020;10(1):8161.Lab or mechanistic studyPubMed 32424181 · DOI

    What it found: Research paper proposing C15:0, an odd-chain saturated fatty acid present in trace levels in dairy fat and some fish and plants, as a potential essential fatty acid: in animal studies C15:0 attenuated inflammation, anemia, dyslipidemia, and fibrosis, and the authors pair this with evidence that C15:0 is not readily made in the body and that lower intake and blood levels are associated with higher mortality.

    Limits: Animal and cell work plus a hypothesis, not a trial of the supplement; the lead author co-founded and works for Seraphina Therapeutics and Epitracker, which the paper's competing-interest statement says financed the studies and hold exclusive licensing rights from the U.S. Navy.

  8. Sasaki H, Sunagawa Y, Takahashi K, Imaizumi A, Fukuda H, Hashimoto T, et al. Innovative preparation of curcumin for improved oral bioavailability. Biological & Pharmaceutical Bulletin. 2011;34(5):660-665.Lab or mechanistic studyPubMed 21532153 · DOI

    What it found: The original Theracurmin paper: after oral dosing, the colloidal-dispersion form's AUC was more than 40-fold higher than curcumin powder in rats and 27-fold higher in human volunteers given 30 mg, and it reduced blood acetaldehyde after drinking.

    Limits: The abstract gives no sample size, it measures blood levels rather than any health outcome, and an author is listed with Theravalues Corporation, which makes Theracurmin.

  9. Jastreboff AM, Kaplan LM, Davies MJ, Wilding JPH, Ahmad NN, Murray M, et al. Retatrutide, a Triple Hormone Receptor Agonist, for Treatment of Obesity. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2026;395(18):1781-1793.Randomized trialPubMed 42814954 · DOI

    What it found: Phase 3 TRIUMPH-1 trial (NCT05929066) randomizing 2,339 adults with obesity and no diabetes to once-weekly retatrutide 4, 9, or 12 mg or placebo for 80 weeks. Weight changed -17.6%, -23.7%, and -25.0% versus -3.9% on placebo (P<0.001), WOMAC knee pain in the 574-person osteoarthritis subgroup fell 3.4, 3.9, and 4.1 points versus 2.5 (ITT estimand), and apnea-hypopnea events per hour in the 243-person sleep apnea subgroup fell 22.8, 34.3, and 32.1 versus 9.6 (ITT estimand).

    Limits: Funded by Eli Lilly; the abstract gives no discontinuation or adverse event frequencies beyond saying gastrointestinal events were most common, and its weight results count everyone randomized (treatment-regimen estimand), which gives lower figures than the efficacy estimand Lilly's press releases lead with.

  10. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Eli Lilly and Company - 716485 - 09/09/2025. FDA Warning Letters, September 9, 2025.Regulatory noticeRead

    What it found: CDER warning letter to Lilly's CEO dated 09/09/2025 about a direct-to-consumer video, "An Oprah Special: Shame, Blame, and the Weight Loss Revolution," finding it false or misleading about Zepbound and Mounjaro, saying it failed to present their serious risks truthfully and minimized them, and citing failure to submit it under Form FDA-2253.

    Limits: Concerns tirzepatide promotion, not retatrutide.

  11. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (Continued) 2002. FDA Enforcement Story Archive, May 7, 2002.Regulatory noticeRead

    What it found: The FDA's Chicago District Office issued a Warning Letter on May 7, 2002 to the president of Optimum Nutrition, Inc. of Aurora, Illinois, calling stevia an unapproved food additive in conventional food and citing unauthorized health claims for a soy protein product and claims in a whey protein supplement's labeling.

    Limits: A 2002 action against a company of the same name; I did not confirm that it is the same legal entity as the brand's current owner.

  12. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. FDA Sends Warning Letters to Multiple Companies for Illegally Selling Adulterated Dietary Supplements (with May 11, 2022 update). FDA Human Foods Program constituent updates, May 11, 2022.Regulatory noticeRead

    What it found: The FDA's May 11, 2022 update says it determined that Glanbia was incorrectly identified in a May 4, 2022 warning letter: Glanbia does not sell Uplift Max or Shred Her Max, and the seller's website wrongly said it belonged to Optimum Nutrition; the letter was retracted and the FDA said it would keep investigating.

    Limits: A retraction notice; it shows no violation by Glanbia or Optimum Nutrition.

  13. Informed Choice (LGC). Informed Choice certified supplement brands. choice.wetestyoutrust.com, November 5, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: The certifier's certified-brands page says companies listed there have brands and products certified with Informed Choice and that not all companies have their entire product range certified; the saved copy does not include the brand list itself.

    Limits: The brand list did not appear in the saved page, so this record shows no brand's certification status.

  14. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Recalls, Market Withdrawals, & Safety Alerts. FDA.gov, November 3, 2026.Regulatory noticeRead

    What it found: The FDA's recalls page, whose newest entry was dated 11/03/2026, listed no entry naming Optimum Nutrition, Glanbia, Pure Encapsulations, Magic Mind, Seraphina, Integrative Therapeutics, Eli Lilly, Teva, or Apotex, and says not all recalls have press releases or are posted on it.

    Limits: Only the recent listing was readable; my fetcher could not run the page's search by company name, so older recalls are unchecked.

  15. FoodNavigator-USA. From 67 no's to nationwide: How Magic Mind built its functional shot business. FoodNavigator-USA, March 25, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: Trade-press profile naming co-founders James Beshara and William Hicks and saying the brand has been selling since launching in March 2020.

    Limits: A trade-press article, not a corporate filing; it gives no headquarters, investors, or parent company.

  16. Magic Mind. Magic Mind home page (product and ingredient overview). magicmind.com, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: Company home page, undated (copyright 2026; retrieved 2026-11-05), listing Free (0 mg caffeine), Original (55 mg), and MAXX (165 mg), and naming lion's mane, bacopa, Cognizin, ceremonial-grade matcha, rhodiola, cordyceps, B vitamins, L-theanine, ashwagandha, turmeric, and vitamins C and D, with no per-ingredient amounts.

    Limits: Seller's own marketing page with no Supplement Facts panel or page date; the product pages with the panel returned a rate-limit error and could not be opened.

  17. Magic Mind. Magic Mind FAQ and Help Center. magicmind.com, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: Company FAQ, undated (copyright 2026; retrieved 2026-11-05), listing caffeine per product (0, 55, 165 mg), with no Supplement Facts panel and a statement that claims have not been evaluated by the FDA.

    Limits: Seller's own page with no ingredient amounts.

  18. Magic Mind. The Science Behind Magic Mind. magicmind.com, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: Company science page, undated (copyright 2026; retrieved 2026-11-05), citing ingredient studies and describing a 60-day study conducted by Magic Mind in which 82 people completed surveys at baseline, Day 30, and Day 60 and reported lower stress; it gives no per-ingredient doses, no p-values, and no control group.

    Limits: Seller's own page; the study is a company-run survey whose funder, journal, and independent investigators are not named, and the linked PDF text could not be read.

  19. NSF International. NSF Certified for Sport: certified product search for "magic mind". nsfsport.com, November 5, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: The certifier's own search for Magic Mind returned no products.

    Limits: A keyword search on 11/05/2026; an empty result is not proof of no other certification.

  20. fatty15 (Seraphina Therapeutics). fatty15 Our Story. fatty15.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: Names Stephanie Venn-Watson and Eric Venn-Watson as co-founders and co-CEOs, and lists Kim Kamdar (board chair) and Nicholas Schork as co-founders as well.

    Limits: Company page; it gives no founding year, headquarters, or parent company.

  21. vegconomist. Seraphina Therapeutics reveals groundbreaking fatty acid discovery, secures $5.5M in Series A round. vegconomist, May 18, 2020.ArticleRead

    What it found: Names Stephanie Venn-Watson as CEO and co-founder and Eric Venn-Watson as co-founder and COO, and reports a $5.5 million Series A led by Domain Associates.

    Limits: Trade press; the page shows two dates (May 18, 2020 and July 3, 2022) and does not explain them, and its $5.5 million figure differs from the $6.2 million in another outlet.

  22. Daniells S. Fatty15: New supplement brand brings good saturated fat from US Navy dolphins to consumers. NutraIngredients, November 19, 2020.ArticleRead

    What it found: Trade profile of the launch of fatty15 as a San Diego-based brand led by Stephanie Venn-Watson, whose Navy dolphin health research led to the company's C15:0 work.

    Limits: A launch-era trade article that does not give the company's founding year, its other founders, or any license terms with the Navy.

  23. Seraphina Therapeutics. FAQs. fatty15 (Seraphina Therapeutics), 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: The maker's FAQ says fatty15 is sold on its own website and on Amazon, that the FA15 ingredient is tested for 98% or higher purity and made under cGMP, that the recommended starting dose is one capsule a day (some customers take two, and it cites safety studies up to 250 mg), that customers may use it in place of fish oil but keep any omega-3 a doctor prescribed, and that FDA does not approve dietary supplements.

    Limits: Company statements; the page is undated, and its GRAS and testing claims are the seller's own, not checked against a regulator or certifier.

  24. NSF International. NSF Certified for Sport: certified product search for "fatty15". nsfsport.com, November 5, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: The certifier's own search for fatty15 returned no products.

    Limits: A keyword search on 11/05/2026; I did not also search the Seraphina name.

  25. fatty15 (Seraphina Therapeutics). fatty15 home page. fatty15.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: The home page carries the phrase "Developed by doctors, funded by the Navy," mentions a decade of collaboration with the U.S. Navy, claims third-party validation, and links to Seraphina Therapeutics in the footer.

    Limits: Marketing page; it does not describe Seraphina's ownership or say which studies the Navy paid for.

  26. Venn-Watson SK, Butterworth CN. Broader and safer clinically-relevant activities of pentadecanoic acid compared to omega-3: Evaluation of an emerging essential fatty acid across twelve primary human cell-based disease systems. PLoS One. 2022;17(5):e0268778.Lab or mechanistic studyPubMed 35617322 · DOI

    What it found: Cell-based screen of pure C15:0 at four concentrations against EPA across 12 primary human cell systems and 148 biomarkers: C15:0 was not cytotoxic at any tested dose, while EPA was cytotoxic in four systems at the highest dose.

    Limits: Cells in a dish, not people; the work was funded by an Office of Naval Research award to Epitracker, the lead author is paid by Epitracker and Seraphina Therapeutics, and the authors disclose patents owned by the U.S. Navy or Epitracker and licensed to Seraphina, which sells a C15:0 product.

  27. Venn-Watson S, Schork NJ. Pentadecanoic Acid (C15:0), an Essential Fatty Acid, Shares Clinically Relevant Cell-Based Activities with Leading Longevity-Enhancing Compounds. Nutrients. 2023;15(21):4607.Lab or mechanistic studyPubMed 37960259 · DOI

    What it found: Cell-based comparison of C15:0 with acarbose, metformin, and rapamycin: C15:0 and rapamycin had the most dose-dependent activities, and the two shared 24 activities at their optimal doses, including anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects.

    Limits: Cell-based, so it says nothing about clinical outcomes, and the authors are co-founders of Seraphina Therapeutics (Venn-Watson is also employed there; Schork consults for it), which sells fatty15.

  28. Robinson MK, Lee E, Ugalde-Nicalo PA, Skonieczny JW, Chun LF, Newton KP, et al. Pentadecanoic Acid Supplementation in Young Adults with Overweight and Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial. The Journal of Nutrition. 2024;154(9):2763-2771.Randomized trialPubMed 39069269 · DOI

    What it found: Double-blind randomized trial of 200 mg/day of C15:0 versus placebo for 12 weeks in 30 young adults with overweight or obesity (20 on C15:0, 10 on placebo). Blood C15:0 rose 1.88 µg/mL more on C15:0 (P = 0.003) with no significant adverse events; in the half who reached a level above 5 µg/mL, ALT fell more (-29 U/L, P = 0.001) and hemoglobin rose more (0.60 g/dL, P = 0.010) than in those who did not.

    Limits: Thirty people for 12 weeks; the main result is only that the supplement raised blood C15:0, the liver-enzyme and hemoglobin findings come from an exploratory comparison by the level people reached, and Seraphina Therapeutics, which sells fatty15, supported the trial and supplied the C15:0 and matching placebo (full text, Funding section), alongside an NIH grant.

  29. JOYLI Nutrition. JOYLI Nutrition - Premium Nutrition Supplements Crafted for Your Wellness. joylinutrition.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: The maker's home page lists two products named "L-Tyrosine Gummies 1000MG", both linking out to Amazon, and shows no supplement facts, serving size, or servings per container for either.

    Limits: The page gives no label details, so the amount per serving, the serving size, and the other ingredients could not be confirmed from the maker.

  30. JOYLI Nutrition. JOYLI Nutrition disclaimer. joylinutrition.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: States that the website is independently owned and operated; the page names no legal entity or address.

    Limits: No corporate details anywhere on the site, so I could not identify the legal owner.

  31. JOYLI Nutrition. JOYLI Nutrition about page. joylinutrition.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: The about page says the company tests "rigorously for purity and potency" and lists third-party testing among its values; it names no founders, founding year, location, manufacturer, or certification.

    Limits: Mission-statement language with no named lab or certificate.

  32. NSF International. NSF Certified for Sport: certified product search for "joyli". nsfsport.com, November 5, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: The certifier's own search for joyli returned no products.

    Limits: A keyword search on 11/05/2026; an empty result is not proof of no other certification.

  33. Integrative Therapeutics. Integrative Therapeutics: Who We Are. integrativepro.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: Says four brands united in 2000 as Integrative Therapeutics: Vitaline (1975, Jed Meese, PhD), NF Formulas (1978, Bruce Canvasser, ND), PhytoPharmica (1981, Terry Lemerond), and Tyler Encapsulations (1987, Corey Resnick, ND, co-founder); says every product is tested for potency and purity in its own lab and lists no outside certification.

    Limits: Company history page; it gives no headquarters or parent company.

  34. New Hope Network. Schwabe North America acquires Wellesse brand. New Hope Network, March 13, 2013.ArticleRead

    What it found: Says Schwabe North America, based in Green Bay, Wisconsin, consists of three brands: Nature's Way, Enzymatic Therapy, and Integrative Therapeutics, and that its parent, Dr. Willmar Schwabe Pharmaceuticals, is headquartered in Karlsruhe, Germany.

    Limits: A 2013 article; it shows ownership as of that year, which the current Nature's Way page supports only indirectly.

  35. Nature's Way. Nature's Way about us. naturesway.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: Says Nature's Way's parent company is Schwabe, gives its primary headquarters as 3480 E. Mason Street, Green Bay, Wisconsin, and lists Integrative Therapeutics under its brands.

    Limits: The page does not contain a formal ownership statement about Integrative Therapeutics itself.

  36. NSF International. NSF Certified for Sport: certified product search for "integrative therapeutics". nsfsport.com, November 5, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: The certifier's own search for Integrative Therapeutics returned no products.

    Limits: A keyword search on 11/05/2026; an empty result is not proof of no other certification.

  37. Theravalues Corporation. Theravalues Corporation: About us. theravalues.co.jp, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: Gives the company's founding as July 2007, its headquarters as 1F Kioicho Bldg., Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, the launch of Theracurmin raw material in Asia (August 2010) and North America (March 2011), and its becoming a subsidiary of Handok Inc., a South Korean pharmaceutical company, in December 2016.

    Limits: Company self-description; it names no founders, and says nothing about Integrative Therapeutics.

  38. Theravalues Corporation. Theravalues Corporation: Products (Theracurmin). theravalues.co.jp, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: Presents Theracurmin as a curcumin formulation made by the company and states that its AUC0-6h was 27-fold higher than curcumin powder in a 14-subject study using 30 mg; it also mentions an 18-month double-blind trial without naming authors or a journal.

    Limits: The page gives no authors, journals, or funders for the studies it describes.

  39. Small GW, Siddarth P, Li Z, Miller KJ, Ercoli L, Emerson ND, et al. Memory and Brain Amyloid and Tau Effects of a Bioavailable Form of Curcumin in Non-Demented Adults: A Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled 18-Month Trial. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry. 2018;26(3):266-277.Randomized trialPubMed 29246725 · DOI

    What it found: Eighteen-month, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of 40 non-demented adults aged 51 to 84 given 90 mg Theracurmin twice daily (21 curcumin, 19 placebo). Curcumin improved long-term retrieval memory (between-group effect size 0.68, p = 0.05) and Trail Making A attention (0.67, p = 0.04), with PET changes in a subset of 30.

    Limits: Forty people, a specific bioavailable curcumin product, and the PET findings are associations.

  40. Pure Encapsulations. Pure Encapsulations home page. pureencapsulations.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: Says the company has "spent the last 30 years researching, innovating, and developing" its product line; the page gives no founding year, founders, third-party testing, or certification.

    Limits: Pure Encapsulations' about, product, and professional-site pages all returned errors (HTTP 403 or 404), so product facts and quality claims could not be read from the maker.

  41. Swissinfo. Nestle sells vitamins business to PE buyer for $1 billion. Swissinfo, September 1, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: Bloomberg report (September 1, 2026) that Nestlé plans to sell its mainstream vitamins and supplements business, including Nature's Bounty, Osteo Bi-Flex, and Puritan's Pride, to the private equity firm Yellow Wood Partners for $1 billion, and that Nestlé said it remains well positioned in premium vitamins, a sector that includes brands such as Solgar and Pure Encapsulations.

    Limits: A wire report; it does not use the word "retained" and does not mention Integrative Therapeutics.

  42. NSF International. Pure Encapsulations (NSF certified company listing). NSF International certified listings, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: NSF's own company listing shows Pure Encapsulations certified to NSF/ANSI 455-2, Good Manufacturing Practices for Dietary Supplements; the page lists no products, and SR-CoQ10 with PQQ is not named on it.

    Limits: A company-level GMP listing, not a product certification, and it is not an NSF Certified for Sport listing; the page shows only a 2012 copyright line, so I could not date it.

  43. Optimum Nutrition. Optimum Nutrition about us. optimumnutrition.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: Says Optimum Nutrition was founded in 1986 by brothers Tony and Mike Costello and was purchased by Glanbia PLC; it names no certifier (such as Informed Choice or NSF) in its timeline.

    Limits: Company history page; it gives no headquarters.

  44. Optimum Nutrition. HMB 1000 CAPS. optimumnutrition.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: The maker's page for HMB Caps: a serving is 3 capsules, there are 30 servings (90 capsules) per container, and a serving gives 3 g of calcium HMB (listed as "Calcium Beta-hydroxybutyrate Beta-methylbutyrate Monohydrate"). The directions say to take 3 capsules daily, and the page names no third-party certification and its product description does not mention creatine.

    Limits: The page also says "Every capsule contains 3g of pure HMB," which conflicts with 3 g per 3-capsule serving, and the Supplement Facts panel is an image, so other ingredients were not read.

  45. Optimum Nutrition. Creatine Gummies. optimumnutrition.com, November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: The maker's page for its creatine gummies: 5 g of creatine monohydrate per serving of 3 gummies, taken as 3 gummies daily. Outside its menu, which lists HMB 1000 Caps as a separate product, the page does not mention HMB, and it names no third-party certification.

    Limits: The page gives sugar as 0 g in one place and 2 g in another, cites no studies on the gummies themselves, and shows no gummy count per container.

  46. NSF International. NSF Certified for Sport: certified product search for "hmb". nsfsport.com, November 5, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: The certifier's own search for HMB listed products from brands including Transparent Labs, Klean Athlete, and XYMOGEN, and none from Optimum Nutrition on the results page saved.

    Limits: A keyword search on 11/05/2026; the saved page shows pagination links, so the listing may not be complete, and it shows what NSF lists today, not what a brand may have tested under other programs.

  47. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Drugs@FDA: NDA 021875, Nuvigil (armodafinil). Drugs@FDA, U.S. Food and Drug Administration, November 5, 2026.Regulatory noticeRead

    What it found: The FDA's Drugs@FDA record for new drug application 021875 shows the original Nuvigil approval on 06/15/2007 and labeling supplements dated 10/21/2010, 06/28/2013, 04/16/2015, and 02/07/2017.

    Limits: An approval and label index only; its label list ends at the 02/07/2017 supplement, so the label wording quoted on the page comes from DailyMed.

  48. Cephalon, LLC. NUVIGIL (ARMODAFINIL) TABLET [CEPHALON, LLC]. DailyMed, National Library of Medicine (FDA-approved prescribing information), May 7, 2025.Regulatory noticeRead

    What it found: FDA-approved label for Nuvigil (armodafinil), a DEA Schedule IV drug indicated to improve wakefulness in adults with excessive sleepiness from obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or shift work disorder. It lists 150 mg to 250 mg once a day in the morning for sleep apnea or narcolepsy and 150 mg about one hour before a work shift for shift work disorder, an apparent terminal half-life of about 15 hours, and placebo-controlled adverse reactions of headache 17% versus 9%, nausea 7% versus 3%, dizziness 5% versus 2%, and insomnia 5% versus 1%. It warns of serious rash, DRESS, angioedema, psychiatric symptoms, and reduced effectiveness of steroidal contraceptives during treatment and for one month after stopping.

    Limits: A drug label, not a study; DailyMed lists this May 7, 2025 posting as current, and the label text itself reads Revised 12/2022.

  49. Apotex Corp. (DailyMed label). NUVIGIL (armodafinil) tablet label, Apotex Corp. DailyMed, September 14, 2026.Regulatory noticeRead

    What it found: The Apotex Corp. label (text revised 2/2025, page updated September 14, 2026) says Nuvigil is indicated to improve wakefulness in adults with excessive sleepiness from obstructive sleep apnea, narcolepsy, or shift work disorder, and reads "Manufactured for: Apotex Corp. Weston, Florida."

    Limits: The fetcher read only the first 100,000 characters of the label.

  50. Eli Lilly and Company. Lilly's triple agonist, retatrutide, successful in two additional Phase 3 obesity trials, delivering significant improvements in weight and A1C. Eli Lilly and Company press release (PR Newswire); copy read on BioSpace, July 23, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: Company press release, not peer-reviewed: Lilly calls retatrutide an investigational once-weekly triple hormone receptor agonist and says it plans to submit a Biologics License Application to the FDA in Q1 2027. TRIUMPH-2 (1,152 people with type 2 diabetes and obesity or overweight, 80 weeks) reported weight loss of 12.7% to 20.8% versus 4.0% on placebo and A1C changes of -1.4% to -1.6% from a 7.7% baseline versus -0.2%; diarrhea ran 27.4% to 33.6% versus 13.2% on placebo and dysesthesia 4.5% to 7.3% versus 0.7%.

    Limits: A company topline release with the efficacy estimand and no peer review; Lilly's own investor page answered 403 to our checks, so the link goes to the same release as reposted on BioSpace.

  51. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Eli Lilly and Company - 716462 - 09/09/2025. FDA Warning Letters, September 9, 2025.Regulatory noticeRead

    What it found: CDER warning letter to Lilly's CEO dated 09/09/2025 about a direct-to-consumer online video of an interview featuring Lilly representatives, finding it false or misleading so that it misbrands Zepbound, and citing failure to submit it under Form FDA-2253.

    Limits: Concerns Zepbound promotion, not retatrutide.

  52. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Eli Lilly and Company - 716475 - 09/09/2025. FDA Warning Letters, September 9, 2025.Regulatory noticeRead

    What it found: CDER warning letter to Lilly's CEO dated 09/09/2025 about a direct-to-consumer online video of an interview featuring Lilly representatives, finding it false or misleading so that it misbrands Zepbound, a drug with a boxed warning for thyroid C-cell tumors, and citing failure to submit it under Form FDA-2253.

    Limits: Concerns Zepbound promotion, not retatrutide.

  53. Jastreboff AM, Kaplan LM, Frías JP, Wu Q, Du Y, Gurbuz S, et al. Triple-Hormone-Receptor Agonist Retatrutide for Obesity - A Phase 2 Trial. The New England Journal of Medicine. 2023;389(6):514-526.Randomized trialPubMed 37366315 · DOI

    What it found: Phase 2 double-blind placebo-controlled trial of once-weekly retatrutide for 48 weeks in 338 adults with obesity or overweight. Mean weight change at 24 weeks ran from -7.2% (1 mg) to -17.5% (12 mg) versus -1.6% on placebo, and at 48 weeks from -8.7% (1 mg) to -24.2% (12 mg) versus -2.1%; the most common adverse events were gastrointestinal, dose-related, mostly mild to moderate, and partly eased by a lower starting dose (2 mg versus 4 mg).

    Limits: A phase 2 trial funded by Eli Lilly with 338 people for 48 weeks, and the abstract gives no discontinuation figure.

  54. FindLabTest. DirectLabs lab tests store (third-party listing). findlabtest.com, November 5, 2026.ArticleRead

    What it found: A price-comparison site's description of DirectLabs: no physician or insurance order is required, customers order online and print a requisition from a MyDLS account, Quest Diagnostics is the listed lab with more than 2,000 locations, service is unavailable in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, and Rhode Island, and the company (Direct Laboratory Services, LLC, Mandeville, Louisiana) was founded in 1993 by John Bell.

    Limits: A third-party aggregator, not Direct Labs; directlabs.com returned HTTP 403 to my fetcher on every page I tried, so none of this was checked against the company's own FAQ.

  55. Direct Labs. OmegaCheck. Direct Labs store (store.directlabs.com), November 5, 2026.Product pageRead

    What it found: Test page for OmegaCheck (also named Omega -3 and -6 Fatty Acids), which reports the Omega-3 (EPA + DHA) Index, Omega-6/Omega-3 Ratio, Arachidonic Acid/EPA Ratio, Arachidonic Acid, EPA, and DHA; fasting for 10 to 12 hours is preferred but not required; lab: Quest Diagnostics; average processing time 6 to 8 days, which the page calls an estimate.

    Limits: No price was readable in the captured text, and the page does not say who orders or reviews the test.