The $500 Mobile IV NYC Treatment That Has ZERO FDA Approval (And The 2019 Alert You Never Heard About)
Mobile IV medics that operate in Brooklyn, Queens, Manhattan – heck, all over NYC are coming into your house to inject you with unapproved substances, charge you a fortune – and I can prove it. They’re betting you believe all the marketing hype about glutathione, like better skin tone, more energy, stronger immunity & detoxing your body and so they charge you $500+ per IV session for this unapproved substance that was linked to an FDA safety alert after people were hospitalized.
Here’s what you need to know before a mobile IV medic sticks you with a needle: the FDA has never approved glutathione to treat any medical condition.
Why? What is the FDA worried about? Well, the reality is glutathione has not been studied well enough for FDA approval. Yes, it has been studied by researchers to see if it is helpful for certain conditions, like people with Parkinson’s disease, 1 relieving the side effects of chemotherapy, 2 as well as protecting the heart during certain procedures. 3 And yes, glutathione is often used by athletes. However, to date there is no real convincing high quality clinical evidence which shows glutathione helps with athletic performance at all. 4
Glutathione Side Effects & 2019 FDA Alert
However, it has been documented that people who use glutathione may experience gastric cramping, nausea, abdominal bloating, and allergic reactions. 5 In addition, the FDA issued an alert in 2019 where multiple people who got glutathione almost died. Here’s the story: a pharmaceutical company called Letco was packaging foreign-made glutathione to be used in injections. The problem is that the foreign manufacturer who sent the glutathione to Letco only meant for the glutathione to be used as a dietary supplement (like a pill and not like an injection), and has labeled it as such. It appears that the compounding pharmacies that were using Letco’s glutathione when making IV glutathione preparations with glutathione that was really meant to be used as a dietary supplement which contained impurities and contaminants. What ended up happening is that the people who received these IV glutathione infusions ended up getting very sick and some of them had to be hospitalized and almost died. They got sick because the original foreign manufactured glutathione was contaminated with small amounts of bacterial endotoxins which can be deadly. 6
But the truth is that IV glutathione has not been approved by the FDA to treat any medical condition.
Glutathione has not gone through the full process of clinical trials to show that it is safe and an effective treatment for any specific condition.
I’m not done exposing secrets just yet.
Here’s what most mobile IV clinic probably may hide from you: your body is a glutathione making machine. Your body makes its own glutathione naturally. And you can hack your body to improve glutathione production for the price of groceries. Just improving your dietary intake of nutrients that help your body make its own glutathione is all it takes. Specifically micronutrients, phytochemicals, and by maintaining a healthy lifestyle like exercising regularly.
For your body to make more of its own glutathione, eating food with high levels of cysteine is essential. Cysteine can be found in poultry, eggs, dairy, and legumes. Micronutrients like vitamin C and E, selenium, and zinc help maintain glutathione levels and can be found in seafood, legumes, and peppers. 7 Phytochemicals like polyphenols and flavonoids can increase enzymes that are responsible for making glutathione and they can be found in onions, berries, apples, and green leafy vegetables. 8Cost? Just a few bucks for some groceries. You can exercise at home for free. So save your $500 and eliminate potentially deadly risk because who wants to get an injection that has not gone through clinical trials to get FDA approval for any treatment?
For your body to make more of its own glutathione, eating food with high levels of cysteine is essential. Cysteine can be found in poultry, eggs, dairy, and legumes. Micronutrients like vitamin C and E, selenium, and zinc help maintain glutathione levels and can be found in seafood, legumes, and peppers. 7 Phytochemicals like polyphenols and flavonoids can increase enzymes that are responsible for making glutathione and they can be found in onions, berries, apples, and green leafy vegetables. 8Cost? Just a few bucks for some groceries. You can exercise at home for free. So save your $500 and eliminate potentially deadly risk because who wants to get an injection that has not gone through clinical trials to get FDA approval for any treatment?
The Bottom Line
While other mobile IV therapy companies in NYC offer non-FDA approved treatments with documented risks, we at VIPs IV are the only company we know that refuses to give glutathione.
At VIPs IV, we only give FDA approved medicines. We only employ board certified nurse practitioners with at least 15 years of clinical experience. We only use evidence based science backed medicine to give you real results. We put your safety and health above profits.
*Disclaimer: This is not medical advice. Consult a physician before starting any supplement or exercise program.*
- Hauser RA, Lyons KE, McClain T, Carter S, Perlmutter D. Randomized, double-blind, pilot evaluation of intravenous glutathione in Parkinson’s disease. Mov Disord. 2009;24(7):979-983. doi:10.1002/mds.22401 ↩︎
- Hospers GA, Eisenhauer EA, de Vries EG. The sulfhydryl containing compounds WR-2721 and glutathione as radio- and chemoprotective agents. A review, indications for use and prospects. Br J Cancer. 1999;80(5-6):629-638. doi:10.1038/sj.bjc.6690404 ↩︎
- Tanzilli G, Arrivi A, Placanica A, et al. Glutathione Infusion Before and 3 Days After Primary Angioplasty Blunts Ongoing NOX2-Mediated Inflammatory Response. J Am Heart Assoc. 2021;10(18):e020560. doi:10.1161/JAHA.120.020560 ↩︎
- Currell K, Syed A, Dziedzic CE, et al. A-Z of nutritional supplements: dietary supplements, sports nutrition foods and ergogenic aids for health and performance–part 12. Br J Sports Med. 2010;44(12):905-907. doi:10.1136/bjsm.2010.077479 ↩︎
- Robinson D. Nutritional and non-medication supplements permitted for performance enhancement. Published October 21, 2025. Accessed November 5, 2025. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/nutritional-and-non-medication-supplements-permitted-for-performance-enhancement?search=glutathione&source=search_result&selectedTitle=1~126&usage_type=default&display_rank=1 ↩︎
- FDA highlights concerns with using dietary ingredient glutathione to compound sterile injectables. fda.gov. Published June 7, 2019. Accessed November 5, 2025. https://www.fda.gov/drugs/human-drug-compounding/fda-highlights-concerns-using-dietary-ingredient-glutathione-compound-sterile-injectables
↩︎ - Gould RL, Pazdro R. Impact of Supplementary Amino Acids, Micronutrients, and Overall Diet on Glutathione Homeostasis. Nutrients. 2019;11(5):1056. Published 2019 May 11. doi:10.3390/nu11051056 ↩︎
- Moskaug JØ, Carlsen H, Myhrstad MC, Blomhoff R. Polyphenols and glutathione synthesis regulation. Am J Clin Nutr. 2005;81(1 Suppl):277S-283S. doi:10.1093/ajcn/81.1.277S ↩︎
Aleksey Aronov, NP
Founder & Lead Nurse Practitioner
Hunter College Alum • Dual Board Certified (Adult & Gerontology)NPI: 1548616451 • NY License: #307286 • Licensed in PA & TXSpecialist in Hematology & Oncology with clinical background at Mount Sinai and Northwell Health. Founder of VIP's IV — delivering hospital-grade care to your door.
