Blackmores Sued For More Than 300 Australians, Here Are A Row Of Complaints

Blackmores Australia (Photo: Instagram/@blackmoresaustralia)

JAKARTA - More than 300 Australians are filing a class action lawsuit against the well-known supplement company Blackmores. This lawsuit emerged after many consumers reported experiencing serious health problems due to consuming supplement products containing vitamin B6.

Reporting from the Daily Mail page, one of the stories that caught attention came from Dominic total-O'Keeffe, a 33-year-old Melbourne man. He started taking two supplements from Blackmores Super Magnesium+ and Blackmores Ashwagandha+, around May 2023, after hearing recommendations from several health podcasters. But within a few months, Dominic began to feel unusual symptoms.

"At first I felt very tired, often headaches, nerve pain, until my vision was disturbed," he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

After discussing with his half-brother, Dominic only realized that the supplements consumed contained very high amounts of vitamin B6.

"It was really an enlightenment moment. I immediately stopped taking supplements, blood tests, and a week later the doctor said I was poisoned by vitamin B6," he explained.

After being traced, the Super Magnesium+ supplements consumed contain about 29 times the recommended daily intake limit for vitamin B6. Now, Dominic is still experiencing symptoms such as numbness in the hands, pain in the neck, and declining thinking skills.

"I hope this is the beginning of recovery, although there is no certainty whether I can really recover," he said.

In response to this case, law firm Polaris Lawyers began investigating possible lawsuits since last May. They now represent hundreds of residents who report similar side effects.

"More than 300 people have contacted us because they felt aggrieved after taking supplements containing vitamin B6," said Nick Mann, Polaris Lawyers' lead lawyer.

Complaints experienced by the victims varied. One of them, Elli Carew (64), was unknowingly consuming B6 from various supplements over the years. Now, B6's toxicity interferes with the treatment of Parkinson's illness.

Another story comes from Penny Thompson, 61, who initially felt numbness in her hands and feet.

"Then suddenly my voice disappeared because my sound band was paralyzed. I couldn't talk or eat normally," he said.

As a result of this condition, Penny had to lose her job as a teacher at TAFE.

"After that I started to get headaches, stomach pain, and my whole body felt numb," he added.

Nick Mann said this situation was very worrying.

"Just look at the vitamin racks in any pharmacy in Australia. There are so many products whose B6 content is far above the safe limit. This is very worrying," he said.

According to Mann, the fact that this product has been approved by a regulatory institution does not waive the responsibility of producers.

Consumers are entitled to secure products. Approval from regulators cannot be an excuse to ignore user safety," he continued.

Australia's health watchdog, Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), announced last June that it was considering a new policy, namely supplements containing vitamin B6 of more than 50 mg will be stored behind pharmacies desks and cannot be purchased freely. However, this policy will only take effect from February 2027.

Blackmores Australia gave an official response to this report.

"We are committed to the highest standards in product quality and consumer safety," a company spokesperson told the Daily Mail Australia.

All of our products, including those containing vitamin B6, are produced according to the rules of the TGA. This includes a maximum daily dose limit and a mandatory warning label. We will also fully comply with the final decision of the TGA." he concluded.