Lactagen

Lactagen was a nutritional supplement produced by Ritter Pharmaceuticals that claimed to reduce the symptoms of lactose intolerance. In 2011, Ritter Pharmaceuticals ceased sales of Lactagen, and other dietary supplements, in order to pursue FDA approval for a treatment for lactose intolerance.

Symptoms said to be relieved by Lactagen include bloating, gas, diarrhea, and abdominal cramping which are associated with the symptoms of lactose intolerance. Lactagen is a powder ingested with water or juice in increasing amounts for a period of 38 days. The manufacturer claims that the mixture of prebiotics and probiotics will relieve all symptoms permanently for 8 out of 10 users. Gastroenterologists suggest that Lactagen can relieve symptoms of lactose intolerance, but relief may not be permanent.

Since Lactagen was a natural dietary supplement, it was not regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Therefore, claims of effectiveness were not evaluated by the agency, and Ritter Pharmaceuticals can therefore not make any claims that Lactagen cures or prevents any disease.

Founder and President of Ritter Pharmaceuticals, Andrew Ritter, suffered from severe lactose intolerance since his early childhood. Medical experts told Andrew there was no treatment available and that he would have to manage suffering from lactose intolerance for the rest of his life. The condition dramatically affected his health and lifestyle, and thus he began a quest to develop a better solution for his condition. In 1997, after years of suffering, Mr. Ritter used himself as the first test subject and developed a lactose intolerance treatment as a project for the California State Science Fair.

Thereafter, Mr. Ritter assembled a team of leading lactose intolerance and gastrointestinal experts to formulate, develop and test an alternative solution for treating the condition. In 2004, Mr. Ritter created Lactagen and began selling it commercially under the company name Ritter Pharmaceuticals, Inc.

After identifying Lactagen, an early generation product which demonstrated dramatic improvement in lactose intolerance symptoms, the team embarked on a formal FDA-approval clinical development process to establish efficacy and safety to ultimately be able to provide the treatment to the millions of lactose intolerance sufferers worldwide.

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