Court Reverses $9.1M Fee in NR Supplement Case
Court ruling on a naturally occurring vitamin B3 compound could affect which nicotinamide riboside products stay on the market.
Updated on Nov. 2, 2026 in Nutrition
A federal appeals court has reversed a $9.1 million attorneys' fee award that Elysium Health had received in its patent dispute with ChromaDex over nicotinamide riboside (NR), a naturally occurring form of vitamin B3 found in cow milk. The Federal Circuit's decision, issued in early November 2026, concerns patent eligibility rules affecting supplement ingredient claims nationwide.
Why it matters
The ruling sits at the intersection of patent law and nutrition science: whether a compound found in nature can be patented as a product. How that question is settled shapes which NR-based supplements can be marketed, sold, and priced, which affects consumers who buy these products for general wellness.
The ruling reviewed a district court decision that found ChromaDex's U.S. Patent No. 8,197,807, covering isolated nicotinamide riboside, was directed to a natural phenomenon and therefore unpatentable. The appeals court's reversal targeted the fee award, not the patent's ultimate validity.
The players
ChromaDex
ChromaDex is a nicotinamide riboside supplement company whose NR-based product line, including its Tru Niagen brand, is central to this patent dispute.
Elysium Health
Elysium Health is a supplement company focused on NAD+ precursor products and was the defendant that won the fee award now reversed on appeal.
Federal Circuit
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit is the appellate court with nationwide jurisdiction over patent cases, including questions of patent eligibility.
The details
Patent eligibility under Section 101 of U.S. patent law bars claims directed to laws of nature, natural phenomena, or abstract ideas. The district court treated isolated NR as a natural phenomenon because the compound occurs in cow milk, while the Federal Circuit found the claims broad enough to cover a product of nature and held the lower court wrongly treated the 2013 Supreme Court decision in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics as the start and end of the analysis.
Timeline
2018: ChromaDex sued Elysium Health for patent infringement.
2023: The Federal Circuit affirmed summary judgment that ChromaDex's asserted claims were patent-ineligible.
November 2, 2026: The Federal Circuit reversed the $9.1 million attorneys' fee award to Elysium.
Health Landscape
Patent eligibility rules, shaped by Supreme Court decisions such as Myriad, determine whether naturally occurring nutritional compounds can be claimed as proprietary products. This ruling adds an appellate view on how strongly courts should weigh such arguments when deciding fee awards.
If you use nicotinamide riboside supplements, this ruling does not change what those products contain or how they work, but it may affect how the market for NR products develops. Readers who take these supplements may want to talk with their physician about whether they fit their needs.
The takeaway
Nicotinamide riboside is a naturally occurring form of vitamin B3, and the legal status of products built around it is still being shaped by court decisions. Readers considering NR supplements should review their options with a clinician rather than rely on marketing claims.
Further reading
For broader context on what these compounds are and how they fit into daily eating, see Nutrition coverage on We are Healthy.
Source note: This article includes information reported by IPWatchdog.com | Patents & Patent Law.
