On Feb. 5, U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) and U.S. Representative Frank Pallone (D-NJ) reintroduced the Prohibiting Tianeptine and Other Dangerous Products Act, legislation that would prohibit tianeptine or “gas station heroin” from being marketed to consumers.
The law would give the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) “additional enforcement authority” to rid the market of tianeptine to protect American consumers. The natural products industry previously questioned the bill in April 2024, stating FDA already has sufficient authority to go after illegal products.
Tianeptine is an illegal opioid-like ingredient that is marketed as a “purported dietary supplement.” Ingesting tianeptine has caused an increase in calls to poison control centers and severe adverse health effects requiring visits to the emergency room. In 2023, there were 391 reported tianeptine cases.
In May 2025, FDA Commissioner Marty Makary, MD, MPH, issued a public statement warning health care professionals about the risk of tianeptine. FDA has taken some action to prohibit tianeptine, but it continues to be marketed and sold.
“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.
Pallone said, “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. I look forward to working together to remove tianeptine from store shelves and to stop the marketing of ‘gas station heroin’ products.”
For more information, visit www.durbin.senate.gov.
