09.01.02
Supplement
Regulation Challenged In Senate Hearing
At a hearing in late July the chair of the Senate subcommittee on government oversight, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill), expressed his concern about the adequacy of dietary supplement legislation and regulations in protecting the safety of consumers, particularly in regard to ephedra, and vowed to take action in a number of areas. The hearing, titled “When Diets Turn Deadly: Consumer Safety and Weight Loss Supplements,” included witnesses from the government and academia. Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Silver Spring, MD, represented the industry. In short, Sen. Durbin said, “I believe we should modify the current definition of dietary supplement categories…to highlight the difference between vitamins and minerals, potent herbal products that act like drugs and animal derivatives…as well as [excluding] steroid precursors like andro from the dietary supplement category.” Responding to the hearing was David Seckman, director and CEO, NNFA, Newport Beach, CA, who said, “The significance of this hearing remains to be seen, but it definitely constitutes a shot across the bow in our efforts to protect DSHEA. Certainly there were issues addressed in the hearing that the industry and Sen. Durbin could agree upon…However, redefining the term dietary supplements or creating special categories for non-vitamin and mineral supplements would require an entire reworking of DSHEA. A more constructive approach, both for the industry and consumers, would be for Congress to provide the support and motivation necessary to FDA and others to fully implement an essentially good law.”
Regulation Challenged In Senate Hearing
At a hearing in late July the chair of the Senate subcommittee on government oversight, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill), expressed his concern about the adequacy of dietary supplement legislation and regulations in protecting the safety of consumers, particularly in regard to ephedra, and vowed to take action in a number of areas. The hearing, titled “When Diets Turn Deadly: Consumer Safety and Weight Loss Supplements,” included witnesses from the government and academia. Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Silver Spring, MD, represented the industry. In short, Sen. Durbin said, “I believe we should modify the current definition of dietary supplement categories…to highlight the difference between vitamins and minerals, potent herbal products that act like drugs and animal derivatives…as well as [excluding] steroid precursors like andro from the dietary supplement category.” Responding to the hearing was David Seckman, director and CEO, NNFA, Newport Beach, CA, who said, “The significance of this hearing remains to be seen, but it definitely constitutes a shot across the bow in our efforts to protect DSHEA. Certainly there were issues addressed in the hearing that the industry and Sen. Durbin could agree upon…However, redefining the term dietary supplements or creating special categories for non-vitamin and mineral supplements would require an entire reworking of DSHEA. A more constructive approach, both for the industry and consumers, would be for Congress to provide the support and motivation necessary to FDA and others to fully implement an essentially good law.”