The Dietary Supplements Safety Act and Its Effects on Health Supplements!
http://www.ads-get-read.co.uk/articles/114133/1/The-Dietary-Supplements-Safety-Act-and-Its-Effects-on-Health-Supplements/Page1.html
Robert Nazarro
For most men aging is a downer especially when it means a lower sexual vigor. Provacyl is a product that is supposed to help reverse many symptoms of aging and improve sexual performance in men. By Robert Nazarro
Published on Wednesday 3rd 2010
What with the recent debates on healthcare reform, health-related legislation is a hot topic in the United States However, the facet of health legislation most on people’s minds has to do with how much of healthcare should be public, whom can avail of these services, and where the funding will come from
What with the recent debates on healthcare reform, health-related legislation is a hot topic in the United States. However, the facet of health legislation most on people’s minds has to do with how much of healthcare should be public, whom can avail of these services, and where the funding will come from. Debates concerning state regulation of medicines, supplements, etc., have been pushed to the side.
This is rather a shame, given the important bill currently being pushed through the American Congress and Senate, which would, in effect, suppress the sale of supplements, particularly those being produced and marketed by small companies. Let us take a look at how this bill works.
This bill, spearheaded by John McCain, is known as the Dietary Supplements Safety Act. It aims to give the FDA more authority in order to purportedly keep unsafe or adulterated supplements away from consumers.
Of course, this bill must not be discussed purely in isolation, but also in the context of existing legislation on the same subject. The Dietary Supplements Safety Act is directly related to the existing Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. Rather than building upon the legislation we already have, McCain’s Bill proposes to wipe out large chunks of it.
Under the present legislation, supplements are protected if they are either from food products that people already eat, or were sold as dietary supplements before 1994. In effect, certain types of supplements are shielded from arbitrary interference and banning by the FDA. However, if the new bill is passed, the FDA will have far more power. It will be allowed to more or less turn the market for supplements static, if it likes. A list of “allowed” supplements can be compiled, and everything not on the list will be banned.
Firstly, such practices are bad for the research and development of new supplements. More red tape, and the prospect of easy, arbitrary banning can discourage scientists and/or those who fund their research. Yes, companies looking to formulate new, better supplements will suffer. However, consumers will suffer, too, as they will be less likely to be able to take advantage of improved versions of existing products, or altogether new supplements.
Secondly, it must be understood that the prospect of granting the FDA even more power than it has now is problematic. Many people trust government agencies like the FDA on the assumption that the agency is disinterested, or can be trusted to give unbiased information. This is not so. Pharmaceutical companies constitute a powerful lobby within the United States, and are able to thereby exert a great deal of influence upon the FDA. Therefore, if the DFA or national legislature puts forward a certain policy that just happens to benefit large pharmaceutical corporations, one must question the motivation behind the policy.
There is something you can do to address this problem. Let legislators know that you are not happy with the prospect of this upcoming legislation. Write congressmen to ask them to stop the bill. If you want to make a statement, try starting a petition to block McCain’s bill, and get like-minded people to sign it.
This is rather a shame, given the important bill currently being pushed through the American Congress and Senate, which would, in effect, suppress the sale of supplements, particularly those being produced and marketed by small companies. Let us take a look at how this bill works.
This bill, spearheaded by John McCain, is known as the Dietary Supplements Safety Act. It aims to give the FDA more authority in order to purportedly keep unsafe or adulterated supplements away from consumers.
Of course, this bill must not be discussed purely in isolation, but also in the context of existing legislation on the same subject. The Dietary Supplements Safety Act is directly related to the existing Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act. Rather than building upon the legislation we already have, McCain’s Bill proposes to wipe out large chunks of it.
Under the present legislation, supplements are protected if they are either from food products that people already eat, or were sold as dietary supplements before 1994. In effect, certain types of supplements are shielded from arbitrary interference and banning by the FDA. However, if the new bill is passed, the FDA will have far more power. It will be allowed to more or less turn the market for supplements static, if it likes. A list of “allowed” supplements can be compiled, and everything not on the list will be banned.
Firstly, such practices are bad for the research and development of new supplements. More red tape, and the prospect of easy, arbitrary banning can discourage scientists and/or those who fund their research. Yes, companies looking to formulate new, better supplements will suffer. However, consumers will suffer, too, as they will be less likely to be able to take advantage of improved versions of existing products, or altogether new supplements.
Secondly, it must be understood that the prospect of granting the FDA even more power than it has now is problematic. Many people trust government agencies like the FDA on the assumption that the agency is disinterested, or can be trusted to give unbiased information. This is not so. Pharmaceutical companies constitute a powerful lobby within the United States, and are able to thereby exert a great deal of influence upon the FDA. Therefore, if the DFA or national legislature puts forward a certain policy that just happens to benefit large pharmaceutical corporations, one must question the motivation behind the policy.
There is something you can do to address this problem. Let legislators know that you are not happy with the prospect of this upcoming legislation. Write congressmen to ask them to stop the bill. If you want to make a statement, try starting a petition to block McCain’s bill, and get like-minded people to sign it.