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NPA Responds to PBS Special on Supplements

On October 21, the PBS "NewsHour" reported findings of tests they conducted on several types of dietary supplements, including black cohosh and ginkgo, stating that some of the tested brands contained little or none of the active ingredients, or contained misidentified substances. NPA responded to the report with a message to Paul Solman, the PBS "NewsHour" correspondent who reported the story.

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By: Sean Moloughney

Editor

On October 21, the PBS “NewsHour” reported findings of tests they conducted on several types of dietary supplements, including black cohosh and ginkgo, stating that some of the tested brands contained little or none of the active ingredients, or contained misidentified substances. NPA responded to the report with a message to Paul Solman, the PBS “NewsHour” correspondent who reported the story.

 
Read NPA’s full response below:
 
Dear Paul,
 
 
• Examines whether certain dietary supplements include the ingredients listed on their labels
• States incorrectly that dietary supplements are “one of America’s…least regulated industries”
• Asks if “dietary supplements are the Wild West of self-medication?”
 
The Natural Products Association (NPA) urges you to release the product names you tested and all accompanying relevant data on the material, including how it was sampled and the test methodology, to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) so that proper action can take place. By sharing this information, you can benefit all consumers of dietary supplements.
 
As a point of clarification, dietary supplements are fully regulated, not as a drug, but as a unique category of food under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). The FDA regulates the safety, manufacturing, and labeling of supplements, while the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has primary responsibility for regulating the advertising of these products.
 
FDA exercises a pre-market approval process for any new ingredient intended to be marketed as a supplement, and these ingredients must first pass FDA scrutiny for safety and truthful label claims. Claims made about supplements must be truthful and non-misleading, or the FTC will levy heavy fines.
 
Under these and other regulations, and with strong self-regulatory efforts, the U.S. supplement industry is committed to ensuring that products taken by any American contain exactly what is stated on the label. 
 
Furthermore, the issues raised in your story demonstrate the importance of Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP). NPA supported implementation by the FDA of Good Manufacturing Practices, even launching our own GMP certification program in 1999, the first third-party GMP certification program for the manufacturing of dietary supplements and ingredients. Nearly 80 companies have achieved certification.
 
Again, we urge you and anyone finding dietary supplements that are incorrectly labeled to report this to us or the FDA for review.
 
Finally, we at the Natural Products Association would like to be your resource for accurate information about dietary supplements. I’d be happy to talk to you about these issues. If you’re interested, please let me know when might work best for you.
 
Sincerely,
 
 
Daniel Fabricant, Ph.D.
Vice President of Global Government and Scientific Affairs

Natural Products Association

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