Last month, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration admonished the company and its distributors for using brochures that make curative claims, a no-no for supplement companies regardless of whether research supports the premise. These particular pamphlets, produced by a third-party publisher, insist mangosteen juice treats everything from arthritis to viruses such as HIV. Since receiving the FDA’s warning, XanGo has cautioned distributors against reciting these claims.
XanGo’s commercial shield also is beginning to crack. A re-examination of the company’s patent, done at the request of a competitor, suggests the drink may not be patentable. While XanGo fights the ruling, a number of me-too products are creeping into the marketplace: Mango-Xan, made by Pure Fruit Technologies, a division of Tahitian Noni; Thai-Go from Nature’s Sunshine; and Mangosteen Plus by New Vision.
Salt Lake Tribune – XanGo creators squeeze their business from an exotic fruit called mangosteen
