Prevagen promised to improve memory — a court ordered the claims off the bottle

Prevagen, a dietary supplement selling since 2013 with the jellyfish protein apoaequorin as its active ingredient, was marketed on the promise that it improves memory and supports healthy brain function. The FTC and the New York Attorney General sued its maker, Quincy Bioscience, in January 2017, arguing those claims were not backed by reliable scientific evidence.

After seven years of litigation that included a jury trial, the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled against Quincy. A December 6, 2024 order banned all eight disputed claims nationwide and immediately — 'improves memory', 'clinically shown to improve memory', 'healthy brain function, a sharper mind and clearer thinking', and the related age-related memory-loss statements. Prevagen had generated more than $165 million in sales since launch.

The court denied the state's request for penalties and disgorgement, noting that losing all eight claims at once was itself 'not a trivial event'. Quincy said it would appeal and began stripping the claims from its packaging, website, Amazon listings and TV ads. The ruling is a landmark for the 'clinically shown' style of supplement advertising: a claim of proof is itself a claim, and it must survive in court.