A recent decision by FDA to reject a company’s citizen petition to classify homotaurine as a dietary ingredient may have far-reaching implications for the sports nutrition supplement industry. Homotaurine was previously studied by a pharmaceutical company as an investigational new drug to treat Alzheimer’s disease. When the results proved disappointing for a viable pharmaceutical, the…
Last week, Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), a legal watchdog group, released “research demonstrating that the dietary supplement industry spent millions of dollars on well-connected lobbyists and made numerous campaign contributions to successfully thwart increased regulatory oversight of supplements.” (Read CREW’s report here) CREW’s press release targeted Utah Republican Sen. Orrin Hatch…
Last month it was reported that about one-third of FDA’s 90 dietary supplement Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) inspections in fiscal 2010 revealed severe compliance problems. The most common GMP problem was reportedly “inadequate identity testing.” Undoubtedly, relying on certificates of analysis from the raw materials supplier without further testing, or failing to conduct identity testing…
San Francisco recently became the first major U.S. city to ban toys from kids’ meals that are laden with calories, sugar and fat. In an effort to fight childhood obesity, the board of supervisors passed the measure stipulating that only meals with less than 600 calories and less than 35 percent of calories from fat,…
This weekend, the LA Times ran a story by Andrew Zajac about the “reinvigoration” of the FDA under the Obama Administration (check out the story here). While the focus of the article was food, drugs, medical devices and over-the-counter items (e.g., mouthwash), there’s no doubt that the increased “regulatory activism” is also being expressed toward…
This week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius released a draft report entitled the Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. In the face of widespread dietary misinformation and an epidemic of obesity, the draft report examines both what Americans are eating…
The July 2010 issue of Consumer Reports (CR) magazine investigates protein drinks with not very flattering findings: … [O]ur investigation, including tests at an outside laboratory of 15 protein drinks, a review of government documents, and interviews with health and fitness experts and consumers, found most people already get enough protein, and there are far…
Some law-makers in Washington have been asking, how did “hidden steroids” get into bodybuilding supplements when the amended steroid law of 2004 was supposed to have solved the problem? Supplement industry critic Senator Arlen Specter [D-PA] chaired a Senate subcommittee hearing last September (http://judiciary.senate.gov/hearings/hearing.cfm?id=4081) to get some answers from DEA and FDA brass. The Senator appeared…
The Senate Special Committee on Aging has scheduled a hearing entitled, “Dietary Supplements: What Seniors Need to Know.” The hearing, scheduled for 2 pm on Wednesday, May 26, 2010, will include testimony from the General Accountability Office concerning its investigation into “marketing practices” for herbal supplements. Although the focus may be on the potential interactions…
After offering the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010, S. 3002, last month to more closely regulate and restrict the supplement industry, Arizona Senator John McCain reportedly has withdrawn his support for the bill and will now work with Senator Orrin Hatch of Utah on a revised legislative initiative. McCain’s bill was applauded by anti-doping agencies but…
