A Hetq investigation revealing the sale of unregistered vitamin D in Yerevan pharmacies has prompted Armenia's Food Safety Inspectorate to inspect the premises of the company importing the capsules.

The Vitamin D3 pills, claiming to contain 5,000 IUs, are sold under the “aTech Nutrition” label and manufactured in Russia.

Leon Fermanyan, a representative of the importer AAF Group, promised to provide Hetq with documentation proving the capsules were legally registered.  He failed to do so and our subsequent attempts to reach him went unanswered.

In the United States, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) recommends an average daily intake of 400–800 IU, or 10–20 micrograms of Vitamin D. The NIH says the safe upper limit is 4,000 IU. 

 In Armenia, vitamins, depending on their dosage, can be either a biologically active supplement (BSA) or a drug, in which case it must be prescribed by a specialist since an overdose of vitamins poses health risks.

In Armenia, a vitamin D product over 2,000 IU is considered a drug.

Unfortunately, in the Armenian market today, one can buy many supplements and vitamins that are not registered and are sold freely, especially through social media networks.