The state of Oregon filed a lawsuit Thursday against GNC Holdings Inc., alleging the company sells supplements with illegal ingredients.
Shares of the chain of health and wellness store company plummeted as much 21 percent in light of the lawsuit, according to the Associated Press.
State Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said Thursday that the company's nutritional and dietary supplements are laced with unapproved drugs, identifying them as picamilon, a Russian prescription medicine for neurological conditions, and BMPEA, which was first synthesized in the 1930s as a replacement for amphetamines and never studied in humans.
"It is scary to know that certain products sold by GNC contain an ingredient that is not even labeled - let alone approved in the U.S.," Rosenblum said in a statement, according to Oregon Live. "When Oregonians buy a dietary supplement, they deserve to know that the ingredients in the products are safe and comply with the law."
GNC responded the same day, saying it no longer sells products containing those ingredients since hearing the Food and Drug Administration's statements about the regulatory status of the ingredients, according to FOX News.
Trading in GNC momentarily halted when news of the lawsuit broke, causing the stock to fall as low as $31.94 on the New York Stock Exchange. Shares exhibited similar results, falling 15 percent to $34.19 at 3:14 p.m.
The case is State of Oregon v. General Nutrition Corp., 15CV28591, Circuit Court of the State of Oregon, Multnomah County
