10.01.01
A newly released report from the General Accounting Office (GAO), Washington, DC, “Health Products for Seniors,” addresses the primary concerns for seniors taking dietary supplements. In short, the report discusses how “some companies promote their products to senior citizens by using ‘anti-aging’ or ‘cure-all’ claims for which there is little or no supporting scientific evidence of either safety or efficacy. In addition, there are concerns that some of these products may cause physical or economic harm. Seniors are thought to be at particular risk of physical harm because they often take multiple prescription pharmaceuticals, increasing their risk of possibly dangerous supplement-drug interactions. Seniors can also be harmed indirectly if they decide to follow an unsubstantiated alternative regimen and forgo needed conventional medical treatment. There is also concern that seniors may be wasting money on products that have little or no therapeutic value.” The September 2001 report also examined a number of issues including government oversight efforts and voluntary programs undertaken by the dietary supplement industry to protect consumers. To remedy the situation, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) has called for full implementation of DSHEA and continued progress on the following steps:
• Publication of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for dietary supplements
• Improvement of the adverse event reporting system (AERs) for dietary supplements
• Development of a scientific framework for safety evaluations of supplements
• Creation of consistent labeling policy and regulatory adoption of industry’s voluntary labeling programs
• Further development of effective enforcement programs based on GMPs and validated analytical methods
• Expanded scientific research supporting the health benefits of supplements.
• Publication of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) for dietary supplements
• Improvement of the adverse event reporting system (AERs) for dietary supplements
• Development of a scientific framework for safety evaluations of supplements
• Creation of consistent labeling policy and regulatory adoption of industry’s voluntary labeling programs
• Further development of effective enforcement programs based on GMPs and validated analytical methods
• Expanded scientific research supporting the health benefits of supplements.