Class action says Lemme GLP-1 Daily capsules lack evidence for weight loss claims
The lawsuits target a supplement marketed as a cheaper alternative to prescription GLP-1 drugs, testing whether a small rise in the body's own hormone supports weight-loss claims.
A proposed class action filed March 10, 2025 in the Southern District of New York claims that Lemme GLP-1 Daily capsules cannot do what their marketing says: reduce hunger or promote weight loss by raising the body's own GLP-1 [1]. The case, Robins v. Lemme Inc., No. 1:25-cv-01938, was brought under New York's General Business Law and alleges false advertising and fraud [1]. A second class action over the same product is pending in California state court [2][3].
Lemme is a supplement brand co-founded by Simon Huck and Kourtney Kardashian Barker [1][2][3]. GLP-1 Daily launched in September 2024 and was advertised to "support your body's GLP-1 production, reduce hunger, and support healthy weight management," according to the company's website [2]. The complaint says the capsules "are just extracts of lemon, orange and saffron" [2]. The three branded ingredients are Eriomin, a lemon extract; Morosil, a blood orange extract; and Supresa, a saffron extract [2]. The GLP-1 effect is attributed to Eriomin [2]. Lemme said the capsules raise naturally occurring GLP-1 by 17 percent, and the lawsuit notes the price: $90 for a one-month supply, or $378 for a six-month subscription [1].
The complaints focus on the gap between the hormone the body makes and the drugs that mimic it. Naturally occurring GLP-1 is broken down quickly, with a half-life of about one to two minutes, while injectable semaglutide — the molecule in Ozempic, Wegovy and Rybelsus — has a half-life of about seven days [1][2]. The California complaint says a 1-milligram weekly dose of Ozempic or Wegovy produces a synthetic GLP-1 concentration "300,000% to 600,000% greater" than the body's resting level and lasts "more than 5,000 times longer" [2][3]. It also notes that blood GLP-1 rises by roughly 400 to 900 percent after a meal, arguing that a 17 percent increase would have no discernible effect on calories consumed, BMI or weight loss [3].
On the Eriomin research, the ingredient's maker, Ingredients by Nature, says the ingredient has "consistently" shown an average GLP-1 increase of 17.5 percent versus placebo across three studies [2]. Published trials found 200 milligrams a day for 12 weeks raised GLP-1 by 22 percent in prediabetic patients and by 17 percent in a 30-person trial of people with hyperglycemia, with blood glucose falling 6 percent and 5 percent respectively [2]. According to the published research and the lawsuits, those studies did not show decreases in body weight, body mass index, waist-to-hip ratio or calorie intake [1][2]. The complaints say the studies relied on sample sizes too small for valid statistical conclusions, and describe participants taking Eriomin for four months with no change in body weight, BMI or waist/hip ratio [1][3]. One review of the trials describes the treatment period as 12 weeks [2].
Two other ingredients have their own research: Morosil has been shown to improve BMI and reduce fat compared with placebo, and Supresa is supported by published research on reducing snacking frequency and supporting more weight loss than placebo [2]. Neither Bionap, which makes Morosil, nor PLT Health Solutions, which makes Supresa, commented [2]. Lemme did not respond to a request for comment [2]. Rob Brewster, president of Ingredients by Nature, said: "As a matter of policy, we do not comment on pending litigation involving finished products with multiple ingredients. However, we absolutely stand behind our ingredient and our science." [2]
The named plaintiff, a California resident, says she would not have bought GLP-1 Daily had she known the weight-loss claims lacked clinical support, and that she gained five pounds while taking it [1]. The proposed class covers U.S. residents who bought the capsules from LemmeLive.com for personal use [1]. Coverage of the case notes that consumers usually do not need to do anything to be part of a class action when it is first filed [1].
Why it matters for patients
Prescription GLP-1 drugs and over-the-counter "GLP-1" supplements are not held to the same standard. Supplements are not reviewed by the FDA for effectiveness before sale, and the agency has issued only one warning letter to a supplement company over GLP-1-related claims [2]. Attorneys quoted in industry reporting say enforcement has largely fallen to private lawsuits, which they say leaves the line between allowed and misleading claims unclear [2].
For people already taking a prescription GLP-1, nothing in these filings suggests those drugs behave differently from how they were studied; the dispute is about whether a supplement's marketing overstated what a small rise in the body's own hormone can do [1][2]. The allegations have not been proven, and no court has ruled on whether Lemme's claims were misleading [1][2][3]. What the lawsuits do not address, and what has not been reported, is whether the capsules carry any safety risk or how many people bought them.
What happens next
According to the plaintiff's attorney, Tom Warren, the New York federal case was dismissed for lack of jurisdiction and refiled in California state court, with the earlier California complaint filed in February [2]. The reports describe the filings differently: one dates the New York case to March 10, 2025 [1], while another says the California case came first [2]. No ruling on the merits, settlement or trial date has been reported [1][2][3].
Sources
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