Celebrity-backed vitamin brand JSHealth fined $26,640 for alleged unlawful advertising

The vitamin brand JSHealth, beloved by celebrities, has been fined $26,640 by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for allegedly illegal advertising after alleging supplements could prevent “serious health problems.”

The Sydney-based brand, run by multimillionaire Jessica Sepel, has twice been caught by the Therapeutic Goods Administration for allegedly illegal use of restricted and banned representations in advertising for listed complementary drugs.

It is alleged that the company’s advertising contained claims that the product could treat or prevent serious health problems, including cancer and Alzheimer’s disease.

These are restricted and prohibited shows that cannot be used in advertisements without permission from the TGA, which the company did not have.

Before a company can advertise to Australian consumers that a therapeutic good can treat serious health problems, it must apply to the TGA supporting the claims it proposes to make.

Such an application must typically include scientific studies and other evidence to support such a claim.

Advertisers of therapeutic goods are cautioned that failure to comply with the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 will have financial and reputational consequences.

They are not allowed to use claims and indications in advertisements that conflict with the requirements of the Act and the Advertising Code.

JSHealth is run by clinical nutritionist Jessica Sepel, 33, and her husband, CEO Dean Steingold.

The couple debuted on the Financial Review Young Rich List last year with an estimated net worth of $426 million.

Ms Sepel’s company is now the second most popular vitamin brand in Australian pharmacies, despite only launching in 2019.

Due to the company’s roaring success, JSHealth now sells a bottle of vitamins every 10 seconds, and plans are now underway to expand into the UK, North America and Asia.

But things haven’t always been smooth sailing for the entrepreneur, with several failed business ventures, including a healthy cereal brand, leaving the couple out with tens of thousands of dollars.

At one point, her husband Dean Steingold was forced to give her the harsh reality that it was time to let go of Ms. Sepel’s dream, as the couple could no longer afford the risk.

But Mr Steingold told the Australian Financial Review that sometimes you have to lose everything when you start a business.

“You have to lose every dollar. Then you’re ready to realize how hard it is to create something,” he said.

Ms. Sepel refused to give up and hit the big hit in 2018 with one of her ideas – developing a vitamin with an anti-stress and anti-anxiety formulation.

“I had patients with depression and anxiety, lack of energy, with poor sleep, and I would prescribe them high doses of fish oil, B vitamins, zinc and magnesium and suddenly they would feel better,” Ms Sepel told The Australian Financial Review magazine .

‘I don’t care if it’s a placebo or not… I saw results. I just knew I could make them better.’

Ms. Sepel says she was discouraged by some from pursuing her dream of breaking into the vitamin industry and that they were “against giants.”

“I don’t like the word haters, but there are so many naysayers and doubters.”

But with little cash to spare and vitamin bottles costing about $20,000 for 2,000 bottles, the couple put everything into the business, and it turned out to be a gamble that paid off.