Niagen Bioscience partners with Truemed to unlock subsidized access to NAD+ booster supplement

Niagen Bioscience’s direct-to-consumer website has partnered with payment platform Truemed to offer eligible US-based customers the option to purchase its NAD+ (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) booster supplement, Tru Niagen, for a lower cost using pre-tax healthcare dollars. 

In the US, Health Savings Accounts (HSAs) and Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs) allow citizens to set aside untaxed income for medical expenses. Truemed’s platform acts as a clinical intermediary that qualifies wellness products for these funds.

“With this launch, we are leaning into what differentiates us — deep scientific investment, rigorous quality standards, and leadership in the NAD+ category — rather than competing as a commodity supplement brand,” a spokesperson of Niagen Bioscience tells Nutrition Insight.

“Tru Niagen is category-defining in NAD+ supplementation, and this expanded payment flexibility in our direct-to-consumer channel makes it more accessible to eligible customers seeking evidence-based healthy aging solutions.”

Clinical backing for Niagen

The Tru Niagen booster includes Niagen, a patented nicotinamide riboside, which Niagen Bioscience markets as an efficient and high-quality precursor to NAD+.

NAD+ is a coenzyme vital to cellular health, which plays a critical role in converting food into energy (ATP) and DNA repair.

Niagen Bioscience’s research and development facility in Longmont, Colorado, US.Niagen is backed by scientific standards, supported by more than 40 peer-reviewed human clinical studies, over 500 published scientific papers, and more than 50 global patents.

For example, one recent clinical trial found that daily supplementation with Niagen for 10 weeks boosted positive recovery outcomes among individuals with long COVID, which is typically marked by fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and disturbed sleep.

Niagen Bioscience also offers a clinical injectable version, Niagen Plus. “They are distinctly different offerings serving different use cases and channels: Tru Niagen is an over-the-counter consumer supplement, while Niagen Plus features pharmaceutical-grade Niagen, available as Niagen IV and injections exclusively at clinics nationwide,” details the spokesperson.

“HAS/FSA is not available for Niagen Plus products at this time.”

Fintech meets longevity

Truemed connects customers with a licensed practitioner who administers a Letter of Medical Necessity during the checkout process. This clinical documentation is a regulatory requirement in the US proving that a supplement or wellness service is being used to prevent or treat a specific health condition, reclassifying the purchase as a qualified medical expense.

For one-time purchases, customers initiate the process by selecting the “Truemed – Pay with HSA/FSA” option at the point of sale. They will then be redirected to a secure portal to complete a private health survey.

After a licensed member of Truemed’s independent medical network reviews and approves this submission, they will issue a Letter of Medical Necessity to the customer for a 12-month period, authorizing the direct use of an HSA or FSA card for the transaction.

“The clinician review is intended to confirm that the purchase is connected to a specific health need in line with HSA/FSA medical-expense rules, which typically require that supplements be recommended by a medical practitioner for treatment of a specific diagnosed medical condition,” explains the company spokesperson.

“HSA/FSA may also reduce financial friction for new and existing customers, thereby expanding the addressable customer base and supporting longer-term adoption among eligible users,” they add.

“HSA/FSA does not change Tru Niagen’s legal or regulatory position or status,” says the spokesperson. “Tru Niagen remains an over-the-counter dietary supplement — regulated as a supplement under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) — not a drug or medical treatment.”

Regulatory win for NAD+ boosters

NAD+ is a buzzword in the longevity supplements field, owing to its essential cellular functions of regulating immune health and supporting cell survival. Recent regulatory advances in the US have propelled the market for dietary supplements claiming to boost its natural production in the body.

Last December, the US FDA confirmed that the NAD+ precursor nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) can be marketed as a dietary supplement. This reversed a 2022 determination where the FDA blocked NMN from use in supplements as it had been approved as an ingredient in drugs, under DSHEA’s drug preclusion clause. Botanical nutraceutical producers at the Natural Products Association (NPA) hailed this as a “significant victory” for the dietary supplement industry.

NPA’s successful efforts to legitimize NMN required significant investments, including filing a formal citizen petition and the subsequent litigation against the FDA.