In an effort to promote the advancement of botanical dietary supplement research, including safety and efficacy studies, the United Natural Products Alliance (UNPA) and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) partnership.
 
The agreement includes projects to further botanical identification programs and recognizes that such cooperation will advance consumer confidence, industry standards and compliance with federal laws and regulations governing botanical dietary supplements.
 
“This agreement allows UNPA to tap into the strengths of the medical school’s analytical, technical and policy expertise, and specifically, its expertise in clinical trials and toxicology,” said Loren Israelsen, UNPA president. “This agreement is in alignment with and complements our MOU with the world-leading work being done at the National Center for Natural Products Research Center (NCNPR) at the University of Mississippi, as the two schools already work together and share resources pertaining to the study of botanical products and dietary supplements.”
 
“We are particularly excited about the recently signed MOU with UNPA, a leading trade organization in the world of dietary supplements, that will help to bridge the gap between academic centers and the dietary supplement industry, resulting in mutually beneficial and long-lasting collaborative efforts,” said Igor Koturbash, MD, PhD, associate professor and vice-chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health and co-director of the Center for Dietary Supplements Research at the Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
 
The center’s mission is to provide industry, regulatory agencies and the public with credible information, assessments, expert opinions and risk communication, as well as professional and educational services relating to the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements.
 
“Our partnership with NCNPR, where we complement NCNPR’s well-recognized international expertise with our state-of-the-art analytical tools and expertise for safety and efficacy, results in a powerful tool that is capable of covering all the aspects of science pertinent to dietary supplements,” Koturbash added.
 
Both parties hope the MOU partnership will lead to a greater understanding of new products with high potential but that lack substantial knowledge about their safety and efficacy, such as the cannabinoids from the cannabis plant. It is also hoped that testing products for their safety and/or efficacy will aid in eliminating “bad actors,” whose products will be less competitive in the marketplace.
 
Uniquely, UNPA organizes its key objectives and work plans through a series of MOUs with more than 20 U.S. and international trade and non-profit organizations, academic institutions and other groups that bring expertise, influence and trusted reputations. By laying out its joint objectives via an MOU, UNPA is able to best serve the needs of its members and its industry stakeholders with greatest effect and efficiency. Learn more about UNPA’s MOU partnerships at the UNPA website.