Drug Discovery and Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE

Prosecutors Seek Congressional Probe of Supplement Industry

By Drug Discovery Trends Editor | April 7, 2015

Fourteen attorneys general asked Congress to launch an investigation of the herbal supplements industry and to consider giving the U.S. Food and Drug Administration stronger oversight of the industry, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman announced.
 
“When consumers take an herbal supplement, they should be able to do so with full knowledge of what is in that product and confidence that every precaution was taken to ensure its authenticity and purity,” Schneiderman said Thursday.
 
Schneiderman alleged in February that DNA tests on certain store-brand supplements found none of the herbs on the labels. Industry groups and some consumer advocates have criticized Schneiderman’s test method, saying DNA testing is unable to identify highly processed plant material.
 
GNC, one of the retailers targeted by Schneiderman, said last week that it has provided him test results from independent labs showing its products were safe and properly labeled, and has agreed to add DNA testing to its quality control procedures.
 
Daniel Fabricant, former director of the FDA’s dietary supplement division and now executive director of the Natural Products Association trade group, called the attorney generals’ action “harassment based on science fiction.”
 
“For the past two months, the attorney general has continued to escalate his attack on the supplement industry without any legitimate data to back up his arguments,” Fabricant said.
 
Under federal law, herbal supplements, vitamins and other dietary supplements are subject to far less rigorous oversight than pharmaceutical products.
 
There is no regulation that requires a firm to disclose to the FDA or consumers the information it has about the safety or purported benefits of dietary supplements, according to agency’s website. The manufacturer is responsible for ensuring the ingredient list is accurate. The FDA can take action against supplements only after they are proven to be unsafe.
 
Schneiderman noted research has found some herbal supplements to contain high levels of heavy metals like lead, mercury, and arsenic, and pointed to a study that found a popular herbal supplement designed to reduce menopause symptoms may have caused severe liver damage in certain women.
 
“The FDA has long been aware of problems in the dietary and herbal supplement supply chain, from dubious ingredient sourcing to a failure to carry out proper testing on finished products,” the attorneys general said in their letter sent Thursday to Kansas Sen. Jerry Moran and Pennsylvania Rep. Joe Pitts, chairmen of the subcommittees dealing with product safety and health.
 
Steve Mister, president of the Council for Responsible Nutrition, an industry group, said concerns raised in the letter about widespread safety issues are untrue.
 
“Our association will certainly cooperate and answer any questions Congress may have about our industry as we share the common goal of making sure that consumers have access to the safe and beneficial herbal supplement products they use to improve their health and well-being,” Mister said.
 
Schneiderman’s letter is co-signed by the attorneys general of Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Northern Mariana Islands, Pennsylvania and Rhode Island.

Filed Under: Drug Discovery

 

Related Articles Read More >

Sanders, King target DTC pharma ads but the industry worries more about threats to its $2B R&D model
Zoliflodacin wins FDA nod for treatment of gonorrhea
FDA approved ENFLONSIA for the prevention of RSV in Infants
First clinical study results of Dupixent for atopic dermatitis in patients with darker skin tones 
“ddd
EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND STAY CONNECTED
Get the latest news and trends happening now in the drug discovery and development industry.

MEDTECH 100 INDEX

Medtech 100 logo
Market Summary > Current Price
The MedTech 100 is a financial index calculated using the BIG100 companies covered in Medical Design and Outsourcing.
Drug Discovery and Development
  • MassDevice
  • DeviceTalks
  • Medtech100 Index
  • Medical Design Sourcing
  • Medical Design & Outsourcing
  • Medical Tubing + Extrusion
  • Subscribe to our E-Newsletter
  • Contact Us
  • About Us
  • R&D World
  • Drug Delivery Business News
  • Pharmaceutical Processing World

Copyright © 2025 WTWH Media LLC. All Rights Reserved. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of WTWH Media
Privacy Policy | Advertising | About Us

Search Drug Discovery & Development

  • Home Drug Discovery and Development
  • Drug Discovery
  • Women in Pharma and Biotech
  • Oncology
  • Neurological Disease
  • Infectious Disease
  • Resources
    • Video features
    • Podcast
    • Voices
    • Webinars
  • Pharma 50
    • 2025 Pharma 50
    • 2024 Pharma 50
    • 2023 Pharma 50
    • 2022 Pharma 50
    • 2021 Pharma 50
  • Advertise
  • SUBSCRIBE