SQUEEZE PLAY ON SUPPLEMENTS

SQUEEZE PLAY ON SUPPLEMENTS

JANUARY 14, 2004. A new report from a prestigious government-connnected medical institute is calling for tighter regulation of nutritional supplements.

This report is timed to coincide with the final Codex push to place heavy restrictions on what supplements can be traded across national borders.

I'm told that the FDA is working with and watching Codex with great interest, as a possible prelude to trying to lower the boom on supplements sold within the US.

Reading the AP article below, you'll see that several key issues are being folded into the new report and the consequent follow-up from "medical experts": nutritional manufacturers need to step up their quality control procedures (what's actually in the capsule and how much of it is in there---this is a legitimate concern for consumers---although the US regulatory system that could govern this area will go about it in the wrong way); the inherent safety of supplements needs to be investigated in full (this is mostly nonsense because the overwhelming number of supplements are much, much safer than any drugs and have caused very, very, very few, if any, deaths around the world over the last few centuries); the efficacy of supplements in maintaining or restoring health must be tested in the same way that drugs are tested (this is complete crap---efficacy should not be the purview of the government at all, and the cost of studies that could be mandated will drive most supplement companies into bankruptcy); and health claims made by supplement manufacturers should be governed and controlled by the FDA (although some manufacturers make ridiculous health claims, we should err on the side of allowing such claims, since the supplements are inherently safe, and the consumer should be the judge of these claims).

There are already laws on the books that handle problems. If a manufacturer places poison in a pill, he is a felon. Drug companies take note. If a manufacturer can't or won't attain standard quality control, he is guilty of false advertising. No regulatory superstructure necessary in either case.

What is most alarming about the new report and the follow-up from it in the press---all these issues I listed above are being melded together, as if possible concern about one implies deep concern about all. That's the strategy. Cast a wide inclusive net. Confuse one issue with another.

As usual, the medical and government honchos are occupying the high ground, as if they and not the people set the standards and the laws. As if the medical naturally and normally trumps the nutritional.

It should, in fact, be the other way around. However, supplement manufacturers and their trade associations have long cowered in fear and abdicated any sense of mission in this struggle. They should be out front exposing the horrendous effects of pharmaceuticals and the sold-out criminal FDA. They should be playing OFFENSE and rocking the drug boys back on their heels every day. They should be paying big PR firms to take the truth to the people through the press. They are not. They are stupid and often corrupt and venal and greedy. They dream that all will be well. They have betrayed their customers through their inaction. They should be hung by their thumbs. De facto, these companies are opening doors and inviting the FDA in to make supplements into drugs, with all the accoutrements attached.

Panel wants rules for diet supplements

Friday, January 14, 2005 Posted: 11:49 AM EST (1649 GMT)

http://www.cnn.com/2005/HEALTH/01/14/alternative.medicine.ap/index.html

WASHINGTON (AP) -- With nearly one-fifth of Americans taking dietary supplements, the Institute of Medicine has called for tougher regulations to make sure the products are safe and do what they claim.

The institute expressed concern about the quality of dietary supplements, saying "there is little product reliability."

This makes it difficult for health professionals to guide patients in use of supplements, the report said. The panel urged that Congress take steps to require improved quality control of supplements and to provide incentives to study the efficacy of the products.

"Reliable and standardized products are needed," Dr. Stuart Bondurant, chairman of the committee that prepared the report, said at a briefing Wednesday.

In a 327-page report, the institute also urged that complimentary and alternative medical procedures, such as herbal remedies and acupuncture, be required to meet the same standards of effectiveness as conventional medical treatments.

Dr. Stephen E. Straus, director of the government's National Center for Complimentary [sic] and Alternative Medicine, said requiring the same research standards "will further the scientific investigation of this new field, increase its legitimacy as a research area and ultimately improve public health."

Unlike drugs, which must be proven safe before they can be sold, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act allows sale of supplements unless the Food and Drug Administration can prove them harmful. The law also does not require manufacturers to report adverse reactions, as drug companies must.

Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, who has pressed for more FDA attention to supplements, believes that manufacturers should be required to report adverse events and continues to urge action against false or misleading claims, according to spokeswoman Allison Dobson.

The Institute of Medicine report said 18.9 percent of Americans reported in 2004 that they had taken a dietary supplement in the past year. The industry was responsible for $18.7 billion in sales in 2002.

A study by researchers at Harvard Medical School, also being released Wednesday, found that about 35 percent of Americans have used some form of alternative medicine

Dr. Hilary Tindle, lead author of that report, said such widespread use shows the necessity of studying the safety, efficacy and cost-effectiveness of these approaches.

The biggest change was an increase in use of herbal supplements over the five years, the study said. The practice of yoga also increased.

The Harvard report, published in the journal Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, said use of therapies such as acupuncture, biofeedback, energy healing and hypnosis remained essentially unchanged between 1997 and 2002, while the use of homeopathy, high-dose vitamins, chiropractic and massage therapy declined slightly.

Both the Harvard and IOM reports cited a failure of a majority of consumers using supplements to tell their doctors.

"This is especially critical as more becomes known about the adverse effects associated with individual dietary supplements as well as their interactions with prescription drugs," said Harvard's Tindle.

The Federal Trade Commission has reported a flurry of unfounded or exaggerated claims for supplements, the IOM report notes. It calls on Congress and federal agencies to set standards for manufacturing quality.

The Institute of Medicine is a part of the National Academy of Science, an independent organization chartered by Congress to advise the government on scientific matters. The National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, which requested the IOM study, is part of the National Institutes of Health.

end of AP article

JON RAPPOPORT www.nomorefakenews.com