< Wikipedia:AI or not quiz This page is about the dietary supplement. For the protein apoaequorin, see Aequorin. Prevagen is an over-the-counter dietary supplement marketed in the United States for memory and brain health. It is manufactured and distributed by Quincy Bioscience Holding Company, Inc., a company based in Madison, Wisconsin. The supplement’s primary active ingredient is apoaequorin, a calciumbinding protein originally isolated from the jellyfish Aequorea victoria.
Prevagen is sold in capsule form and marketed primarily to older adults. Commercial formulations typically contain apoaequorin in doses ranging from 10 mg to 40 mg per capsule, along with vitamin D and inactive ingredients. The manufacturer has promoted the product as supporting memory, learning, and other aspects of cognitive function.
Quincy Bioscience has cited a company-sponsored clinical trial as evidence supporting Prevagen’s claims. The study reported improvements in certain cognitive test scores in a subset of participants; however, the results were based on post-hoc analyses rather than the study’s primary endpoints. ${ }^{[2]}$
Independent scientists and medical organizations have questioned the biological plausibility of Prevagen’s proposed mechanism. Dietary proteins such as apoaequorin are generally broken down into amino acids during digestion, and there is no established evidence that intact apoaequorin crosses the blood-brain barrier or affects neuronal calcium regulation in humans.
In January 2017, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the New York State Attorney General filed a joint lawsuit against Quincy Bioscience, alleging that the company made false and unsubstantiated claims that Prevagen improves memory and prevents cognitive decline. ${ }^{\text {[3] }}$
In 2024, a federal court ruled in favor of the FTC and New York Attorney General, prohibiting Quincy Bioscience from claiming that Prevagen improves memory or brain function unless such claims are supported by competent and reliable scientific evidence. ${ }^{[4]}$
Multiple private lawsuits and class actions have also alleged that Prevagen’s advertising was misleading and that the product does not provide the advertised cognitive benefits. ${ }^{[5]}$
Prevagen is regulated in the United States as a dietary supplement under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994. Under this regulatory framework, dietary supplements are not required to undergo pre-market approval by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for safety or effectiveness. Manufacturers are responsible for ensuring that product claims are truthful and not misleading.