1. The Progenex formula has been changed – it no longer represents Dr. Connelly’s original formula !
2. Dr. Scott Connelly is no longer formulating the product (he’s the guy who invented MetRx!)

In other words, if you’re buying Progenex from this point forward, you’re not getting the original product, formualted by Dr. Connelly.  When you purchase this particular item, as an educated consumer, you’re likely thinking that you’re getting a protein supplement formulated by Dr. Scott Connelly, the Harvard Medical dude  who invented MetRx. I realize that Progenex currently markets several products, but sadly,  they all differ substantially from the original Scott Connelly design. Don’t believe me? Check out their website and try to find him. His name and likeness have been totally removed…’In other words, there is no more Progenex as we’ve come to know it in the nutritional industry.

I’ve contacted Progenex, and they declined to make a public statement, although they expressed their desire for me to disclose that my Facebook account lists Vince Andrich as a friend…Vince works with Connelly…

But I’ll do everyone a step further…I’m further disclosing that Vince also writes for Muscle Insider (as does Scott Connelly, and myself). So maybe I’m biased to protect and defend authors that I work with…right? Yeah, not f*cking likely.

It’s also important to note that Dave Palumbo is also a writer for this same magazine, and I recently exposed (and attacked) him for being the defendant in  a lawsuit filed for his inclusion of  a dangerous ingredient in one of his products. Dave was also employed as a coach  by a fellow writer for Muscle Evoution (another magazine I write for)…so…I mean…I’ve never gone out of my way to protect people I know or work with – but still, there’s nothing wrong with requesting full disclosure from me. In that spirit of disclosure, I’ll also be revealing (tomorrow) how one of the current Progenex business partners has previously been indicted on multi-million dollar fraud charges.

I’ll also further disclose that I’ve called out previous employers and co-workers for various reasons, related to improprieties in their business practices. I’m neither employed by Andrich or Connelly, nor have I earned a dime off them, nor am I being paid to write this blog post. There’s your disclosure.

I’m simply saying that people who are currently purchasing Progenex are not actually purchasing Connelly’s original design…and in my opinion as a professional supplement designer, with access to all of the legal and scientific documents surrounding this case, they’re buying a vastly inferior product. The Progenex you’re buying is not the Progenex you might think you’re buying.

The story, according to papers filed by Dr. Scott Connelly, is that he began working with Lactoferrin (a bioactive fraction of whey protein). In 2005 he began presented Murray Goulborn co-operative, ltd. (MGC) with his research on Lactoferrin, and by 2005 they had perfected the technology to produce Whey Growth Factor Extract (WGFE), and by 2007, they had formed Progenex. Well, without getting into the details too heavily, some investors and businessmen were brought in to raise capitol…and now they’re running the company! MGC is no longer providing them with Whey Growth Factor Extract (WGFE), and since their production methodology is proprietary and patented(and part of their Intellectual Property), it’s impossible to confirm that they’re getting the exact same protein in the original Progenex. I’ve also contacted MGC for an official statement.

Oh…and they not only changed the protein source, but they also changed a carbohydrate source…they added fructose! If you ‘re familiar with Dr. Connelly’s articles or books, you know that he’d never, ever, ever, use fructose in a formula…in fact, he openly says fructose is a metabolic poison, and a negative partitioning agent. Those are direct quotes! If you’re buying Progenex, you’re not buying Dr. Scott Connelly’s product…you’re buying a product that comes from a bunch of boiler-room businessmen. So, they changed the protein source, the exact stuff originally marketed, they changed the carb source, and oh yeah, since there’s barely any fat (a gram!), in my mind, they’ve basically changed the whole f*cking thing.

As absurd as it seems, Progenex is no longer Progenex.  AND furthermore, the medical research being performed with the protein has also ceased, according to a statement filed by Dr. Scott Connelly. I predict this stuff, without Connelly, will end up being just another protein powder that nobody buys.

,

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Federal immigrations and customs officials at Newark Liberty International Airport (about half an hour from East Brunswick) intercepted a package that contained Syntrop Oxandrogen (Syntrop, aka GenXXL/Axio’s house brand of Anavar or Oxandrolone) and Trenbolone Acetate — along with some generic Levitra. This is potentially bad news for Syntrop because Bayer is the manufacturer of Levitra, and if they throw their weight around enough, it could result in the FDA pursuing the source of the knock-off Levitra. It all depends on how sandy Bayer’s vagina gets over this incident.

Either way, it doesn’t look good for Syntrop/Axio when they have a package intercepted by customs, and one of their customers ends up getting arrested.

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They’ve got some smart guys over at MusclePharm, but they don’t really know what they’re doing, and their entire product line is less than impressive (to me anyway).

Some estimates put the company out of business before the end of September, while conservative estimates give them until the end of the year.

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We haven’t seen any Bulbine-based products released on the market since my original article, and that’s a very good thing. Why? Because the amount of wet harvested herb used to produce 100kgs of dry powder (the type you’d find in a pill) is roughly one ton. To insure a supply for a big company (MuscleTech, Gaspari, BSN), we’d be talking about more herb than is currently being grown in South Africa (although that’s changing, as an American company has recently moved into sharecropping and trademarking the herb with my original source).

Smaller companies actually have an advantage in being first to market, because a 500-1,000 bottle run of the herb would be feasible at the moment  -  a company like MuscleTech (or BSN, or whoever), who would likely be looking to use a 500-1,000 kilograms of Bulbine Natalensis per month, would require a currently-impossible harvest. Look to see Bulbine products hitting the market, first from very small companies, then progressing to the larger ones, and probably (*by the end) to the major players in the industry (as we saw with Fadogia agrestis).

Remember, early this year, I couldn’t get my hands on a full kilogram – but by 2011, enough will likely be grown to see several products hitting the market. And, just the other day, I did a search on Google, and the autofill function showed me that people aren’t just searching for the stuff, but they’re looking to buy it in bulk (meaning we’re about to see several bulbine natalensis products hit the market… I know of at least 5-6 companies who would like to add it to their own test boosters):

If you aren’t sure what the autofill function on Google does, it fills in the most common phrases to go with whatever word you’re searching on. In the case of Bulbine Natalensis, it fills in the kind of words that tell me people are looking to source large quantities of it. In addition, it also appears that someone (no, not me) has recently registered the BulbineNatalensis.com domain name:

But remember, when I first started looking for the stuff, I went through several BN samples, from South Africa as well as China, and all of them were fake except for one (they didn’t even look similar, when you line them up):

Can you spot the real Bulbine Natalensis?

That picture is supposed to be 4 powder samples of Bulbine Natalensis. One of them is real, and was confirmed by an independent analysis – the other three are fake (and don’t even look the same!). And of course, I get daily emails from people in South Africa, China, India, etc…all telling me that they have acres of the stuff growing in their back yard, ready to be harvested and sold to a willing nutritional company…but as of yet, nobody has been able to provide a sample or a COA to me, so I can confirm the validity of their vast herbal empire..(despite one or two of the people seeming pretty legit).

In fact, some of the companies who have “already harvested several thousand kilos of the herb” are operating with only a P.O. box as their physical address. (*Shady!) This same company has told me that they can not provide a Certificate of Authenticity performed by an independent lab for any of their powders. I’d classify them as probable scammers at this point.

There’s one South African dude selling 50mg caps (pre-orders only) on some random sites already (Ebay style), but I’ve got my doubts that they’ve been COA’d and determined to be real.In fact, I’d probably avoid him…especially since he’s got no idea what an effective dose is, and he’s charging $70/bottle. For $70/bottle, you’re going to want to know that each serving is actually an effective dose – and this guy has no idea what that is.

Thus far, other than the original supplier I worked with several months ago (who have gone exclusive with an American sharecropper already), I’ve only been contacted by one potential supplier who I think might turn out to be reputable. I say that because he’s sent me numerous photos of Bulbine Natalensis, clearly being grown in a dedicated crop. So, it seems that various legitimate and illegitimate suppliers of this herb are springing up all over the place. I’m hoping to figure out which is which and keep everyone updated.

Stay Tuned, because this looks like it’s poised to be very big for the natural testosterone booster market.

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My favorite part about this bust is the following picture, in which you can see George Koufalis, one of the snitches from the original series of arrests, taking first place at a bodybuilding contest…and having his hand held up by the promoter of the show…who would ultimately get snitched out by George, and get arrested in this latest series of busts (a year later!):

It’s actually kind of interesting, but nobody in the mainstream media has figured out that this entire bust centers entirely around the NPC (and IFBB) in the Lehigh Valley area of Pennsylvania. I mean…literally, this bust involved almost entirely bodybuilders and bodybuilding officials.

Craig Johnson, a promoter and judge for the NPC, who claimed (through his lawyer) that he never sold steroids to earn money, but simply knew someone (an informant) who asked for steroids, who he then hooked up with a supplier (thus becoming a spoke on the conspiracy wheel). Not surprisingly, the story being told by the informant, who alleges that he made purchases via hand to hand transactions with Johnson on the premises of Top Physique Nutrition and Promotions (Johnson’s business), is a bit different.

Still, the quantities involved are relatively minor, and realistically, this is a pretty obvious case of an informant trying to save his own skin by purchasing a few bottles from a friend, and setting the guy up as a dealer.

Also charged is NPC bodybuilder Edward Moyzan, who was recently sentenced to 23 months in prison related to a 2006 bust, where he was (*surprise, surprise) selling steroids to an undercover officer at his local Gold’s Gym (and even writing out cycles for the guy).

So yeah, this is his second time getting arrested for the same offense, and he actually got popped for this crime, while he was awaiting sentencing for the first one. He’s likely to go away for a long time, especially since he’s got no ability to nark anyone else out. Moyzan was actually a pretty good bodybuilder and a bit of a rising star in the NPC – until his first steroid bust…likewise, it’s doubtful that George Koufalis will ever win another state title.

On the other hand, NPC & IFBB  promoters and judges can be indicted, currently face charges, and still maintain their standing and position in the organization(s).

Brian Potance, a corrections officer who unbelievably appears to have no connection with the NPC, was also arrested…Moyzan admitted providing steroids to Johnson, and said that he’d began purchasing them from Potance in the summer of 2009 (thereby narking out his supplier as well as his customer, in typical bodybuilder fashion). Potance was also selling to another informant, and was making his own purchases online.

Again, although these guys were all dealing anabolic steroids, the trend I’m seeing is that none of them were what we’d think of as traditional drug dealers…i.e. they all had real jobs, and were more or less earning a few grand on the side. 

Brian Chamberlain, an IFBB professional bodybuilder, was also swept up in the arrests. You may remember him from a column he had written in MuscleMag International (which was terrible), or from when he was working for BSN, the nutritional company.

In 2004 he won the IFBB North American Bodybuilding Championships, where he transitioned from an amateur bodybuilder in the NPC to a professional bodybuilder in the IFBB. After going pro, he quickly took 7th at some contest, 2nd at some other show, and ummm…8th and 6th at some other shows or whatever.

From what I can tell, the guy is a personal trainer, more or less, and works at his local Gold’s Gym. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, but it’s an interesting commentary on the financial state of the average professional bodybuilder…

Frank Peters, an NPC bodybuilder and personal trainer, also got pinched in this latest roundup and currently finds himself facing numerous charges stemming from steroid distribution and conspiracy. Peters and Chamberlain (allegedly) obtained steroids for their own personal use and additionally for resale in the Pennsylvania area. They were ordering from  China, Hungary and Pakistan, and paying  via wire transfers (under $20k for the entire length of the conspiracy).

Angela Girondo, Peters’ girlfriend, was also arrested for dealing steroids and GH to informants, working with Frank to distribute them throughout the Lehigh Valley area.

Below is a full list of the defendants and the charges against them (Although it should be noted that the investigation is ongoing):

Craig Johnson, 39, 3102 Lehigh St., Allentown, is charged with one count of criminal conspiracy.

Edward Moyzan, 37, 207 Turning Leaf, Trexlertown, is charged with three counts of delivery of a controlled substance and one count of criminal conspiracy.

Brian Potance, 26, 606 Berks St., Easton, is charged with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance.

Brian Chamberlain, 35, 49 Sheffield Lane, West Chester, is charged with two counts of delivery of a controlled substance and one count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance.

Frank Peters, 34, 97 Hampstead Drive, Ambler, is charged with six counts of delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance, one count of criminal conspiracy and one count of dealing in proceeds of an unlawful activity.

Angela Girondo, 50, 97 Hampstead Drive, Ambler, is charged with four counts of delivery of a controlled substance, one count of possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance and one count of criminal conspiracy.

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• USPLabs
• Primaforce
• IForce

(and I’m hearing at least 2-3 others who do not have the ingredient listed on their label – but that’s unconfirmed at the moment).

I haven’t looked into these other companies or products too heavily, but the three I’ve named all list the banned ingredient in question on their labels, and are pretty up front about things. I’m still awaiting confirmation on the other companies, and whether or not this is a case of contamination on the part of the manufacturer, or confusion on the part of the athlete(s). To the best of my knowledge, this information on the products and companies in question (that have been caused the positive tests) hasn’t hit the mainstream media yet…

But as I said Monday, I can’t imagine that this ingredient is going to be on the market forever, and I suspect we’ll see it being removed sooner rather than later. I’m actually very curious to see what effect this could have on USPLabs, as they have two top sellers in Bodybuilding.com’s top 10, and both are heavily reliant on 1,3 -dimethylamylamine, the same way Twinlab was heavily reliant on ephedra (before it was banned, and they went bankrupt).

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Either way, it’s pretty clear that he was ratted out, and since this bust was worth hundreds of thousands of dollars, I can’t imagine that he was working alone…so maybe there’s a few more busts coming up soon…

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Source: LA Times, June 23, 1989

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It would be performed to determine if you were a good candidate for a liver transplant, and if you were a drug addict or alcoholic, you’d be taken off the transplant list. And, that tox screen would be entered into evidence, if, hypothetically, you were suing the company that produced the usnic acid product that caused your liver to fail. And it would show, pretty conclusively, that you weren’t using either alcohol or recreational drugs…

Just thought I’d mention it…for people who don’t understand what a tox screen is…or how it can effect a lawsuit…

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                                                          Three months ended         Six months ended
                                                                             June 30,                  June 30,
                                                               ————————  ————————
                                                                    2010         2009         2010         2009
                                                               ———–  ———–  ———–  ———–
Sales of product, net             $   468,109  $   252,374  $ 1,726,697  $   436,857
Cost of sales                         361,250      163,319    1,192,608      283,025
                                  ———–  ———–  ———–  ———–
Gross Margin                          106,859       89,055      534,089      153,832

Operating Expenses:
Advertising and promotion          1,817,540      201,042    3,055,512      357,214
Salaries and benefits                913,983       44,741    1,155,705       71,544
Professional fees                     99,822       11,664    1,184,404       18,057
General and administrative           147,501       50,795      259,046      100,935
Depreciation and amortization          3,390        1,686        6,455        3,312
                                  ———–  ———–  ———–  ———–
   Total Operating Expenses         2,982,236      309,928    5,661,122      551,062
                                  ———–  ———–  ———–  ———–
Operating Loss                     (2,875,377)    (220,873)  (5,127,033)    (397,230)
                                  ———–  ———–  ———–  ———–

Other Expenses
Interest expense                     311,087        3,212      669,147        3,939
Other expense                          5,196            -        5,196            -
                                  ———–  ———–  ———–  ———–
   Total Other Expense                316,283        3,212      674,343        3,939
                                  ———–  ———–  ———–  ———–

Net Loss                          $(3,191,660) $  (224,085) $(5,801,376) $  (401,169)
                                  ===========  ===========  ===========  ========

Basic and diluted loss per share  $      (.11) $      (.01) $      (.21) $      (.02)

Weighted average shares
outstanding, basic and diluted    29,247,811   25,863,428   27,702,640   25,846,662

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