A right-wing Utah Senate candidate was once tapped to a lead a company that was shut down by the FDA for fraudulent marketing over its ‘natural’ Viagra product, DailyMail.com can reveal.
Trent Staggs, a member of the Mormon Church making a bid for the Senate to replace Mitt Romney, brands himself as a ‘classic Utah success story.’
His website notes he has ‘more than 20 years of experience running and managing successful Fortune 500 companies to small- and medium-sized enterprises.’
But Staggs took over as president of soon-to-be defunct company Regeneca in 2015.
The company was forced to recall its erectile dysfunction medication, RegenErect, three years earlier, after the FDA alleged the so-called ‘natural’ product contained ordinary Cialis and Viagra which they had not disclosed, potentially putting users at risk of deadly health complications.
The FDA also alleged that the company’s weight loss supplement that was marketed as ‘all natural’ was actually just amphetamine – a stimulant drug.
Staggs noted that he was not the leader of the company when it was selling the erectile dysfunction medication, and he’d been brought on to turn things around.
‘All of these issues, which predated my arrival, are exactly why they brought me into the company as interim president. The owners needed someone to evaluate the business and see if there was a path forward,’ he told DailyMail.com in a statement.
A right-wing Utah Senate candidate used to lead a fraudulent company that was shut down by the FDA over its ‘natural’ Viagra product
Trent Staggs, a member of the Mormon Church, brands himself as a ‘classic Utah success story’
In February 2012, Regeneca issued a voluntary recall of RegenErect, due to it containing the active ingredient tadalafil, which is commonly known by its name brand Cialis.
Regeneca had not disclosed this pharmaceutical ingredient, which can have adverse health reactions for those on other medications.
‘The capsules contain tadalafil, making them unapproved new drugs, and tadalafil is not listed in the label, the company said in a statement on the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) website.
‘Tadalafil is used as a treatment for male erectile dysfunction. It may interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs, such as nitroglycerin, and may lower blood pressure to dangerous levels, the statement said. ‘Regeneca has distributed RegenErect via Internet sales and as samples at public events.’
In November 2015, while Staggs was president, the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a complaint on behalf of the FDA against Regeneca, alleging that the company used active pharmaceuticals in both RegenErect and a female arousal gel RegenArouse in violation of FDA rules.
They requested a permanent injunction against Regeneca, noting that in 2011 inspections found the company had used the active ingredient in Viagra in RegenErect and in 2012 they had used taladifil in both RegenErect and female arousal product RegenArouse.
The complaint said the FDA had already issued warning letters to the company about legal action if they did not correct the violations.
And in a separate complaint in November 2015, the DOJ filed a complaint against Regeneca for alleged repeated violations of FDA rules relating to its product RegeneSlim.
They alleged that in investigations in 2014 Regeneslim was found to contain DMAA, an amphetamine derivative, despite being marketed as ‘natural.’ DMAA can cause serious cardiovascular health risks.
The company did not disclose that DMAA was in the product or the health risks associated with it.
The company issued a nationwide recall of all of its herbal and dietary products in 2017 after a California judge approved a consent decree between the U.S. government and Regeneca, effectively putting the company out of business.
‘Consumers have a right to expect safe dietary supplements,’ said Melinda Plaisier, the FDA’s associate commissioner for regulatory affairs, in a statement at the time. ‘When a company continues to defraud and deceive consumers, risking public health, we will take action to protect the American public.’
Staggs’ (pictured with his wife) campaign to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney is being propped up by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who will campaign with him in Utah this week. He’s served as the mayor of Riverton since 2018
Staggs’ campaign to replace retiring Sen. Mitt Romney is being propped up by Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., who will campaign with him in Utah this week. He’s served as the mayor of Riverton since 2018.
Last week he called it ‘unsustainable’ and ‘immoral’ to vote for the $1.2 trillion bill to fund the government.
In classic Trumpist fashion, he eviscerated Romney for not being conservative enough.
‘The only thing I’ve seen him fight for are the Establishment, ‘wokeness,’ open borders, impeaching President Trump and putting us even deeper into debt,’ Staggs said of Romney in announcing a run for his seat.
Staggs has also scored endorsements from pro-Trump politicians like Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville and Arizona Senate candidate Kari Lake, former Trump Administration officials Kash Patel and Ric Grenell. He’s one of 11 Republican vying in a primary to succeed Romney.
