09.01.14
More than 70 executives representing member companies of the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), Washington, D.C., assembled at the U.S. Capitol in June to urge Congress to pass the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act (DASCA) of 2014. In addition, the delegation presented arguments against the Dietary Supplement Labeling Act (DSLA), urging increased enforcement of existing laws.
The meetings with legislators took place during CRN’s 11th annual “Day on the Hill,” the association’s executive legislative fly-in event. According to CRN’s Ingrid Lebert, director, government relations, who manages the day, “This was our most successful annual event to date, with the highest number of participants from CRN member companies and Congress.” In meetings with close to 60 congressional offices, CRN and its members emphasized the importance of passing DASCA to help protect consumers from illegal anabolic steroid products masquerading as dietary supplements. By making it easier for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to target new anabolic steroids as they enter the market, DASCA would serve to protect the reputation of those responsible dietary supplement companies that provide consumers with legitimate, high-quality and beneficial supplements, including those used for sports nutrition and performance, the association said.
Conversely, industry leaders urged lawmakers to oppose DSLA, which would impose new burdens on FDA, the Institute of Medicine and industry, noting it is duplicative of current laws and self-regulatory programs, and would place unfair requirements on law-abiding, responsible companies while doing nothing to protect consumers from unscrupulous actors who already ignore the law.
In addition, CRN shared information from the Frost & Sullivan economic report, “Smart Prevention – Health Care Cost Savings Resulting from the Targeted Use of Dietary Supplements,” which demonstrated that supplementation at preventive intake levels in high-risk populations can reduce the number of disease-associated medical events, representing the potential for hundreds of millions—and in some cases, billions—of dollars of savings. The report was funded through a grant from the CRN Foundation.
The meetings with legislators took place during CRN’s 11th annual “Day on the Hill,” the association’s executive legislative fly-in event. According to CRN’s Ingrid Lebert, director, government relations, who manages the day, “This was our most successful annual event to date, with the highest number of participants from CRN member companies and Congress.” In meetings with close to 60 congressional offices, CRN and its members emphasized the importance of passing DASCA to help protect consumers from illegal anabolic steroid products masquerading as dietary supplements. By making it easier for the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to target new anabolic steroids as they enter the market, DASCA would serve to protect the reputation of those responsible dietary supplement companies that provide consumers with legitimate, high-quality and beneficial supplements, including those used for sports nutrition and performance, the association said.
Conversely, industry leaders urged lawmakers to oppose DSLA, which would impose new burdens on FDA, the Institute of Medicine and industry, noting it is duplicative of current laws and self-regulatory programs, and would place unfair requirements on law-abiding, responsible companies while doing nothing to protect consumers from unscrupulous actors who already ignore the law.
In addition, CRN shared information from the Frost & Sullivan economic report, “Smart Prevention – Health Care Cost Savings Resulting from the Targeted Use of Dietary Supplements,” which demonstrated that supplementation at preventive intake levels in high-risk populations can reduce the number of disease-associated medical events, representing the potential for hundreds of millions—and in some cases, billions—of dollars of savings. The report was funded through a grant from the CRN Foundation.