A hot new filler made from dead people's fat is being 'smuggled' into New York, state regulators say

• The state health department says Tiger is smuggling the filler into the state without permission.
• State officials seized product from at least one doctor, but others have continued to inject it.

Dr. Tommaso Adonna, president of the New York Plastic Surgery Group medical practice, told Business Insider he thinks alloClae and similar products have potential, but said he will not inject it for breast treatments without further study.

He turned away a potential client who had seen social-media content about the potential for a “lunchtime augmentation,” he said.

“I’m told — and I know the people at Tiger pretty well — the company itself is trying to do their due diligence,” he said. Still, his practice won’t stock alloClae because it has a tissue bank license issued by the Health Department that he doesn’t want to put “at risk.”

The American Society of Plastic Surgeons declined to comment on alloClae’s regulatory status. The society’s spokesperson said it encourages patients considering any procedure involving tissue products to consult with a board-certified plastic surgeon.

Tiger told Business Insider in 2025 that it planned to scale up production this year.

Tiger told customers in April that it was “aware of a recent circumstance involving the Department of Health and a particular physician in New York,” according to a letter seen by Business Insider. That was a reference to a seizure of alloClae, a person familiar with the matter said.

Days later, Tiger offered at least one New York doctor a promotion for bulk purchases of alloClae, according to a memo seen by Business Insider.

Then, on June 1, the company circulated the new memo seen by Business Insider explaining its positions in the lawsuit and saying that it would cease distribution of the product in New York.

A judge ruled on May 29 that New York should not prevent the distribution of a separate tissue-derived wound treatment that Tiger has also feuded about with the state. The judge declined the company’s request to halt the alloClae crackdown, though, calling for both sides to further flesh out the dispute in court filings and oral arguments. A hearing is scheduled for later this month.

The state health department wouldn’t comment on specific cases but said that it follows the law to protect New Yorkers.

In an emailed statement, the co-CEOs of Tiger’s parent company said it “strongly disagreed” with the state health department’s actions but wouldn’t get into specifics about the litigation.

They said Tiger is “routinely and successfully inspected by the FDA” and said alloClae is “regulated solely under federal law by the FDA.”

Until this is worked out, New Yorkers interested in alloClae may have to look into taking the PATH train in between meetings.