Durbin, Blumenthal, Pallone Introduce Bill To Prohibit Sale Of Tianeptine

WASHINGTON - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), and U.S. Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ-06) today introduced the Prohibiting Tianeptine and Other Dangerous Products Act, legislation that would prohibit tianeptine from being marketed to consumers.

Tianeptine is an unapproved drug that is marketed as a purported dietary supplement and sold under labels such as "Neptune's Fix." Ingestion of tianeptine has led to an increase in calls to poison control centers and severe adverse effects requiring visits to emergency rooms nationwide. According to America's Poison Control Centers, 391 tianeptine cases were reported nationwide in 2023, a sharp spike when compared to the four cases in 2013.

In May 2025, Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Makary issued a public statement, warning health care professionals about the risks of tianeptine. While FDA has taken some action to protect Americans from these products, tianeptine continues to be marketed and sold to Americans-even children-because it does not have much-needed enforcement authorities.

The Prohibiting Tianeptine and Other Dangerous Products Act would give FDA the additional enforcement authority to rid the market of tianeptine, and protect American consumers.

"Americans put their trust in dietary supplements to improve their health, but some unscrupulous companies are abusing that trust by marketing dangerous ingredients in some of these products, like tianeptine," Durbin said. "Consumers have gotten sick and even died. That's why I'm introducing the Prohibiting Tianeptine and Other Dangerous Products Act to rid the market of tianeptine and protect American consumers."

"Stopping 'gas station heroin' requires stronger FDA oversight to protect consumers. Harmful and potentially addictive substances, including gas station heroin, are being marketed to Americans as dietary supplements-posing a serious and even life-threatening risk to consumers. The Prohibiting Tianeptine and Other Dangerous Products Act will protect consumers from the side effects of 'Neptune's Fix' and other deadly so-called dietary supplements by strengthening the authority of the FDA to remove these hazardous products from shelves across the country," said Blumenthal.

"Tianeptine or 'gas station heroin' has no place on our store shelves. In just eight months, New Jersey had 41 calls to poison control related to this dangerous drug, which is essentially five calls a month. That's beyond troubling. These products make people incredibly sick, often require hospitalization, and pose a particular threat to our nation's children. I'm proud to partner with Senator Durbin to reintroduce this bill to ensure FDA has the power to prohibit the marketing of 'gas station heroin,'" Pallone said. "I look forward to working together to remove tianeptine from store shelves and to stop the marketing of 'gas station heroin' products."

According to FDA, tianeptine is a "potentially dangerous substance that is not FDA-approved for any medical use but is illegally sold with claims to improve brain function and treat anxiety, depression, pain, opioid use disorder and other conditions." Tianeptine mimics the sedative effects of opioids.

In 2024, Durbin urged the Council for Responsible Nutrition, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association, the American Herbal Products Association, and the United Natural Products Alliance to act against the inclusion of dangerous or illegal ingredients in products marketed as dietary supplements in the United States, such as tianeptine. In the letters, Durbin cited an investigative piece by ABC7 Chicago which found that Chris Haggarty, a 37-year-old man from Lorain County, Ohio, died after taking a supplement that included tianeptine last November.

Further, Durbin's Dietary Supplement Listing Act would require dietary supplement manufacturers to list their products with FDA. In 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), which provided FDA with authorities to regulate dietary supplements. However, DSHEA did not require dietary supplement companies to register their products with FDA-leaving the agency without the much-needed authority or information to properly understand or oversee the market.

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