Dietary Supplement Policy
Despite the fact that there is no evidence that dietary supplements are inherently safer, more effective or produce fewer side effects than conventional therapies, the use of dietary supplements is widespread and growing.
The increasing popularity of dietary supplements among Americans is not simply the result of societal trends favoring products that call themselves “natural.” It is also the result of very calculated campaigning (and campaign contributions) by the dietary supplement industry. The resultant 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) clarified that supplements were to be regulated essentially as foods, not drugs, and thus were exempt from the tougher regulation accorded to drugs.
We are critical of any decision that may potentially lead to adverse events in the public, and thus our work reflects our support of the application of more rigorous safety and efficacy standards to dietary supplements.
- Statement: FDA Rule Still Won't Ensure that Dietary Supplements Are Safe and Effective, June 22, 2007
- Statement on the 100th Anniversary of the FDA, June 27, 2006
- Testimony on the Framework for Evaluating the Safety of Dietary Supplements, October 11, 2001
- Congressional Testimony on Dietary Supplements, March 20, 2001
- Comments on HHS Inspector General Study of Adverse Event Reporting for Dietary Supplements, April 24, 2000
- Testimony Regarding "Morning Sickness" and "Leg Edema" During Pregnancy, March 30, 2000
- Letter Regarding FDA's Final Regulations on Dietary Supplements and Definition of Adverse Effects of Pregnancy, February 3, 2000