NAD+ oral strips: what 100 mg means in a film, NMN and NR, and NDI status

Strengths commonly seen on labels

What fits in a film

Buyers should hear the hard part first. NAD+ (C21H27N7O14P2, 663.4 g/mol) at 100 mg is 0.15 millimoles and one third of a 300 mg strip, or half of a 200 mg strip. Published film reviews describe active at 5 to 30 percent of a film under 200 mg, and the formulation group that set 50 mg per film as its working limit excluded anything that needed more than 100 mg per dose because two films at once was the most a patient would accept. A 100 mg NAD+ film is therefore thick, brittle and short on flavor, or it is two strips. The chemistry adds three more constraints. NAD+ is a free acid and tastes sour with a bitter edge, so the flavor system works with the acidity rather than against it. It is hygroscopic, and in solution it degrades by base-catalyzed hydrolysis: in a Tris buffer at pH 8.5 and 19 °C it lost about 4 percent in 43 days, the rate roughly doubled at 25 °C, and in a HEPES buffer it was nearly gone in the same period. Casting solution pH, the buffering salts and the drying temperature decide how much potency reaches the sachet, and the assay at month 24 decides what the label can say. NMN (334.2 g/mol) shares the load and moisture problems; in a solid-state study at 40 °C and 75 percent relative humidity its purity fell from 98.2 to 95.5 percent in 12 weeks, with nicotinamide rising to 2.8 percent. NR chloride (290.7 g/mol) is smaller, freely soluble (826 to 973 mg/mL across pH 2 to 7.4, log P about minus 6) and hydrolyzes to nicotinamide and ribose faster at neutral pH than acidic, with the rate doubling every 10 °C. The decision rule: NAD+ or NMN up to 50 mg fits one strip; 50 to 100 mg is a two-strip serving; more than 100 mg in one strip is not a product we will quote. NR up to about 100 mg fits on mass, provided the cast stays acidic and drying stays cool. Feasibility ends with a dose, a serving and a stability plan, not with a yes.

NAD+ and NAD-pathway projects are custom-scoped by ingredient identity, regulatory status, stability and target dose; we do not publish a NAD+ benchmark. For NMN the supported development target is up to 150 mg per strip, subject to regulatory and supplier-document review. A preliminary feasibility and quote can be issued provisionally; before final acceptance we require a supplier dossier supporting identity, specification, safety and lawful use, plus NDI notification, GRAS support or other documentation where applicable.

NAD+, NMN, and NR: what a brief needs to say

These three are not interchangeable in a film or on a label. NAD+ is the molecule most retail strips name, the largest of the three, moisture-sensitive and typically labeled at 100 mg. NMN is a precursor sold at similar doses with the regulatory history described below. NR is the smallest precursor and has GRAS notifications on file for specific suppliers' forms. The brief should state which molecule, which salt or form, which supplier, and what documentation the supplier provides, because each changes the formulation, the stability plan and the regulatory review.

Formulation and taste for NAD+ films

NAD+ and NMN taste sour with a faint bitterness and both pull water, which affects handling as much as flavor. Citrus and berry directions use the acidity; mint gives a clinical read. Because so much of the film is active, sweetener and flavor get a smaller share than the usual 3 to 6 and up to 10 percent, so acceptance criteria should allow a tart finish rather than demand candy-level sweetness. Tensile strength and tack are watched at every round, since high active fractions make films crack or stick to the liner. Drying stays cool and the casting solution stays on the acid side of neutral to slow hydrolysis. Sugar-free builds are the norm.

Who buys NAD+ strips

Longevity and healthy-aging brands, clinics and med-spas that already offer NAD+ services and want a take-home product, biohacking and performance brands, and practitioner lines. Buyers who cannot document the ingredient's regulatory position are asked to resolve that before development starts.

Packaging and stability for NAD+ films

Moisture is the first problem: NAD+ and NMN draw water, and a wet film both degrades and sticks. Individual high-barrier foil sachets are the default, a desiccant-backed carton is worth evaluating, and heat exposure in shipping and retail belongs in the study. The stability plan assays the active at pulls through the labeled shelf life against a 24-month target at 20 to 25 °C, with a water-activity specification set for the formula. Expect the result to shape the final dose: the amount that survives is the amount you can declare.

Regulatory and labeling notes: NDI status and claims

This is the section counsel reads first. A dietary ingredient not marketed in the United States before October 15, 1994 is a new dietary ingredient, and the marketer must notify FDA at least 75 days before marketing with the basis for concluding it is reasonably expected to be safe. NMN's status was contested: FDA concluded in 2022 that NMN was excluded from the supplement definition under the drug-preclusion provision, then in letters dated September 29, 2025 reversed that position, finding NMN had been marketed as a supplement before it was authorized for drug investigation. NMN remains a new dietary ingredient, so each marketer needs an NDI notification on file or a supplier whose notification covers the material; products without one remain subject to adulteration enforcement. NAD+ and NR are evaluated the same way with the specific supplier. Claims stay structure/function (supports cellular energy), carry the FDA disclaimer and are notified within 30 days. Anti-aging, disease and reversal language is not permitted, and research-use-only labeling does not make a consumer product compliant. StripWorks does not give regulatory advice.

Private label vs custom for NAD+

There is no shortcut private-label NAD+ strip the way there is for B12 or melatonin. Every NAD+ project is custom because dose, ingredient form, supplier documentation and the stability outcome are specific to the brand. A practical starting point is a single-active NR or 50 mg NAD+ film at a strength stability can support, with the option to extend to a two-strip serving.

How the 500-box pilot applies

A qualified NAD+ project moves to a 500-box pilot only after dose, ingredient documentation and the stability plan are agreed: roughly 10,000 strips in 20-count boxes or 15,000 in 30-count. The pilot tests the moisture barrier, content at early stability pulls, the carton's claim language and market response at the strength the film can deliver.

Common questions

Primary sources

• FDA, New Dietary Ingredient (NDI) Notification Process
• Venable LLP, FDA Declares Nicotinamide Mononucleotide Is a Dietary Supplement (Sept. 29, 2025 FDA letters; NDI obligations)
• Natural Products Association, FDA Reinstates NMN as Dietary Supplement After NPA Lawsuit
• Nutritional Outlook, NMN not a dietary ingredient, says FDA (2022 drug-preclusion determination)
• FDA, GRAS Notice 635: Nicotinamide riboside chloride
• FDA, Structure/Function Claims
• FDA, Dietary Supplements (overview)
• PubChem, NAD+ (CID 5892): molecular formula and weight
• Long-Term Stability of Nicotinamide Cofactors in Common Aqueous Buffers, PMC (2024): NAD+ base-catalyzed degradation, buffer and temperature data
• US Patent 11,059,847, Crystal forms of beta-nicotinamide mononucleotide: 40 °C/75% RH solid-state stability data
• Understanding the physicochemical properties and degradation kinetics of nicotinamide riboside, PMC (2019)
• Jacob S. et al., Orodispersible Films: Current Innovations and Emerging Trends, Pharmaceutics (2023)
• Visser J.C. et al., Orodispersible films as a personalized dosage form for nursing home residents, Int J Clin Pharm (2020)
• Neuvera NAD+ strips (100 mg label)
• Connect Wellness NAD 100 mg oral strips
• Dissolvd NAD+ strips (100 mg label)
• InStrips Recharge NAD+ strips (100 mg, research-use-only disclaimer)