CBP Shouldn’t Have Excluded Dietary Supplement, Importer Says

An importer said Feb. 7 that CBP wrongfully prevented a weight loss dietary supplement from entering the U.S. (Unichem Enterprises v. U.S., CIT # 24-00033).

Unichem Enterprises, a pharmaceutical company and the importer, said in its complaint that CBP shouldn't have excluded an entry of its product, 7-Ketodehydroepiandrosterone, when it arrived in New Jersey in December. The company lodged an administrative protest, but CBP denied it, calling the issue “non-protestable.”

7-Ketodehydroepiandrosterone is “commercially advertised as a dietary supplement to support weight loss,” according to the National Institutes of Health.

“The entered 7-Ketodehydroepiandrosterone is not listed on the U.S. Controlled Substances List and is not structurally or chemically the same as merchandise listed on the U.S. Controlled Substances List,” Unichem said.

The importer asked the Court of International Trade to order CBP to immediately admit and release its entry.