Which supplement companies have contracts or disclosed financial relationships with Dr. Mehmet Oz?
Executive summary
Reporting shows two supplement-related firms with publicly documented financial ties or paid agreements involving Dr. Mehmet Oz: iHerb, where Oz served as a paid adviser and held millions in stock, and Usana Health Sciences, for which Oz had paid ambassador arrangements and promotional work; other alleged ties are referenced in disclosures but not named in the provided reporting [1] [2] [3] [4] [5].
1. iHerb: adviser role and large stock holding
Multiple outlets report that Oz joined iHerb as an adviser and spokesman in 2023 and that his financial disclosures list a substantial equity position in the company — described as one of his largest holdings and estimated in the filings at anywhere from $5 million to $25 million — and that he pledged to divest or resign if required by ethics rules (AP; Democrats; STAT) [1] [2] [6].
2. iHerb: paid promotions and disclosure concerns
Investigative and watchdog reporting documents that Oz regularly promoted iHerb products on social platforms while serving as a paid adviser, and critics including Public Citizen argued he did not appropriately disclose those financial ties in every endorsement, raising questions about compliance with FTC endorsement rules (Fortune; Public Citizen referenced) [3].
3. Usana Health Sciences: paid ambassador and past promotions
Longstanding reporting and Oz’s own financial disclosures tie him to Usana Health Sciences, a multi‑level marketing dietary‑supplement company, for which he served as a paid promoter and reportedly received substantial compensation — reporting has described payments to Oz in the past that were sizable and notes paid agreements to act as a brand ambassador, including appearances and promotional content (Wikipedia; WHYY) [4] [5].
4. What the official ethics filings and press reports do — and do not — show
Government ethics filings filed during Oz’s nominations and campaigns, and press analyses of those filings, explicitly name iHerb and quantify Oz’s holdings there as a major exposure; other filings list holdings in health‑care and vitamin companies broadly but the assembled reporting here does not provide a comprehensive, itemized list of every supplement firm with which Oz has a disclosed relationship, so caution is warranted before inferring additional specific company ties beyond those named (STAT; AP; Senate letter citing disclosures) [6] [1] [7].
5. Competing narratives, agendas and the context for these disclosures
Supporters cast Oz’s ties as private‑sector expertise relevant to health markets while critics — including Democratic lawmakers, watchdogs and consumer‑protection groups — frame the same relationships as conflicts of interest given his role overseeing Medicare and Medicaid; Public Citizen and Democratic officials specifically flagged iHerb promotions lacking clear disclosures, and Senate correspondence urged divestment to avoid influence over supplement coverage decisions, signaling political and regulatory stakes behind how these ties are reported [3] [7] [2].
6. Limits of the available reporting and open questions
The sources reviewed identify iHerb and Usana as companies with disclosed financial or paid relationships with Oz, and they document social‑media promotion and large stock positions tied to iHerb [1] [3] [4] [5]. The reporting does not produce a complete, up‑to‑date inventory of every supplement company Oz may have contractually worked with or held shares in; where filings reference broader holdings in “vitamin” or “supplement” sectors, the provided materials do not always name the entities, so further examination of the original OGE/financial disclosure forms and SEC filings would be necessary to assemble a full list [6] [1] [7].