CRN Maintains Pressure on NY Attorney General

CRN has taken its demands for transparency from the NY Attorney General (NYAG) to the top—the Governor’s office. In February, the NYAG’s office launched an attack on the dietary supplement industry, releasing results of DNA barcode tests alleging that specific herbal supplements sold by four mainstream retailers were misbranded, demanding the retailers remove the products from the shelves. 

As reported in the last issue of The Short Report, CRN was the first trade association to publicly voice its concerns with the accuracy of the test results, and the association has continued to put pressure on the NYAG to be transparent with its findings. Keeping the pressure on, CRN met with representatives from the NYAG’s office who continue to stonewall the request to release the report; submitted formal legal requests—which have been denied; and met with representatives from the Governor’s office. In addition, CRN continues to back the retailers with the media, most recently having conducted an in-person meeting with a New York Times editorial Board representative and the reporter covering the issue, as well as continuing to present arguments about the report in industry trade press.

In addition, CRN President/CEO Steve Mister guested, for the second time, last month on an Albany talk radio program that covers political issues in New York and is very popular with legislators and their staff. It appears the issue is not going away, and CRN intends to continue to defend those retailers and products that were unfairly targeted by an investigation steeped in sloppy science.

Educate, Educate, Educate

Providing the perfect June trifecta, CRN is co-hosting three educational programs designed respectively to help dietary supplement executives protect their companies from class-action lawsuits; provide healthcare practitioners with science-based information on the use and regulation of herbal supplements; and offer practical information to supplement company executives tasked with meeting regulatory and legal expectations for the supplement category. 

The one-two-three punch starts with a June 9 webinar co-produced with Informa Exhibitions, titled “Class Action Lawsuits: Understanding the Current Landscape to Reduce Your Risk” and featuring four of the supplement industry’s preeminent litigation experts. 

On June 16, CRN will present renowned integrative medicine expert Tieraona Low Dog, M.D., to pharmacists and nurse practitioners in a free webinar produced by Skipta, the leading network of specialized online medical communities for healthcare professionals.  During the one-hour webinar, Dr. Low Dog will draw on her years of expertise to share science-based information behind five popular botanicals.

In collaboration with the American Conference Institute, CRN has a developed a comprehensive regulatory and compliance seminar on June 24–25 in New York City to help ensure companies learn from the experts the do’s and don’ts of legally manufacturing and marketing dietary supplements.

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CRN to FDA: Enforce the Law

CRN voiced strong support of FDA taking aggressive enforcement actions against companies marketing drug products masquerading as dietary supplements, as companies selling unsafe products not only put consumers in danger but damage the reputation of the responsible industry. In April, following a concerning report published by Pieter Cohen, M.D., et al., in Drug Testing and Analysis Today, CRN urged the government agency that regulates supplements to consider its options under the law to protect consumers from the synthetic drug-like substance, BMPEA. 

FDA responded with warning letters to five companies advising them to stop selling supplement products adulterated with BMPEA. CRN also supported a consumer advisory issued by the agency in April against a product, Tri-Methyl Xtreme, that the agency indicated has been linked to serious liver injury, and reminded FDA of the ways it could take stronger enforcement actions beyond the consumer advisory. These actions by CRN are part of the association’s on-going efforts to protect consumers from products that are illegally being sold as dietary supplements.

New Study Points to Benefits of Vitamin B3 in Reducing Skin Cancer

A new study from researchers at the University of Sydney discovered promising news for reducing the risk of certain types of skin cancers by taking a twice-daily dose of 500 mg of nicotinamide, a specific form of vitamin B3.  In the study, patients who had already experienced non-melanoma skin cancer at least twice in the last five years were randomly assigned to the daily dose of nicotinamide or placebo. The vitamin B3 group experienced 23 percent fewer non-melanoma skin cancer diagnoses during follow up than those not administered the vitamin. 

With more than 3 million cases of common skin cancers such as basal and squamous cell diagnosed in the U.S. annually, this study offers good news for a simple vitamin. According to a story by the Associated Press, the researchers said “the vitamin, called nicotinamide, could offer a cheap, easy way to lower risk” in those who have already had one of the cancers identified in the study. Grab your sunscreen, your water bottle, and your vitamin B3—and don’t forget those regular check-ups with your dermatologist.

New research finds #vitamin B3 can reduce the risk of some types of #skincancer. #PowerofVitamins wapo.st/1M4GqZv

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