PRESS RELEASE

Anti-Supplement Congressmen At It Again & Other Important Legislation

Consumer Action Needed To Amend the FDA Globalization Act of 2008
Contact Your Congressional Representatives Now

June 05 , 2008

          [It is critical that consumers push to amend this proposed bill to exempt its application to dietary supplements, or there will be more regulation, higher costs for supplement manufacturers (domestic and foreign), and higher costs for consumers.]

The FDA Globalization Act – Higher Costs for Supplements

By Lee Bechtel, NHF National Lobbyis

The Kennedy/Durbin/Dingell/Waxman, pro-FDA/anti-supplement axis does not rest

          Of course, there are some unreasonable weight-loss claims being made by certain dietary supplement company advertisements in the same way that any business has its rogues; the pharmaceutical industry itself could certainly attest to that since it is full of rogues.  Regardless of the merits of such rogue advertisements, which are co-regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the FDA, this Petition sets the stage for other big pharmaceutical company challenges to other types of claims for supplements.  It also poses what would constitute irreparable damage to the dietary-supplement industry as well as irrevocable losses to consumer health freedom of choice.

          Citizen petitions are supposed to be a formal means for a citizen, or more broadly the public, to contact the FDA and seek its action or response on a particular matter.  The original intent of citizen petitions has been perverted to now facilitate “citizen” petitions from corporate behemoths such as GSK.  In other words, petitions from these corporate mini-states should be more accurately called “Big Pharmaceutical Petitions.”

          As soon as possible, NHF members and other concerned individuals should file comments in opposition to the FDA's review of this Petition.  Comments may be made either online or by mailing in a letter.

To View the original Citizens Petition filed by the American Dietetic Association, the Obesity Society, Shaping America's Health, and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare- (Click Here)

View Sample Petition Letter- (Click Here)

To File Comments-

(1) (Click Here To Send Comments Directly to FDA)

(2) Download from the NHF website (Click Here) a sample comment letter stating your case against the GSK Petition and sending it by regular mail to the FDA.

To mail a letter-

Food and Drug Administration
5600 Fishers Lane
Rockville, Maryland 20857

Issue:

Docket ID FDA-2008-P-0248
Docket Title- Treat Weight Loss Claims for Dietary Supplements as Disease Claims Document ID FDA-2008-P-0248-0001
Document Title- American Dietetic Association, The Obesity Society, Shaping America’s Health and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare-Citizen Petition

 

Act now to prevent another infringement of your liberties.

 

Click here for the permanent link to this press release, use this link to inform others.