CRN announces industry-wide dietary supplement product registry will launch this year
It’s official: an industry-wide dietary supplement product registry will be up and running this year to help regulators and retailers identify and evaluate dietary supplements in a searchable, all-in-one-place and easy-to-access platform. The registry will be developed and managed by a third-party vendor, and CRN plans to announce the results of that search later this spring. CRN’s President & CEO Steve Mister noted that the product registry will initially serve the regulators and retail community, with the ultimate goal of providing industry accountability to consumers as well. “We’re moving in a deliberate, step-wise fashion and layering initiatives that, when combined, will address transparency, ingredient verification, and GMP compliance, he said. “The product registry is an important piece of these efforts and a transformative step for the dietary supplement industry.”
Having just returned from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) annual meeting, Mr. Mister was further encouraged by the retail community’s positive response to the product registry. “I met with a number of the major players in this space, and there’s real enthusiasm for learning more about how the product registry will help retailers better serve consumers.” Mr. Mister is scheduling individual office appointments to further brief retailers and receive feedback about the product registry—to meet with Steve Mister, please contact Tammie Betway (tbetway@crnusa.org). |
Upcoming legal/regulatory conference hosted by CRN provides good advice for supplement retailers, marketers and manufacturers
Looking for ways to learn more about dietary supplement legal matters, regulation, and compliance issues and meet face-to-face with key stakeholders? CRN is co-sponsoring its second annual Legal, Regulatory and Compliance Forum on Dietary Supplements with the American Conference Institute on June 27–29 in New York City. The event, co-chaired by CRN’s President & CEO Steve Mister and Scott Bass, a partner at Sidley Austin, features a “who’s who” of speakers from top government regulatory officials to industry experts. Steven Tave, acting director of the newly designated Office of Dietary Supplement Programs in FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, and Michelle Rusk, director, advertising practices, FTC, are featured presenters, along with Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller and AG staffers from two other states. The two-day conference and accompanying post workshops are open to anyone with an interest in the dietary supplement category. For more information, contact Gretchen Powers (gpowers@crnusa.org).
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CRN urges doctors and patients to discuss supplement use
Consumers and their health care practitioners should openly discuss dietary supplement use. In response to a new study published online (March 21) in JAMA Internal Medicine, CRN noted the value of dietary supplements in maintaining good health, and urged consumers to speak with their doctors and other healthcare practitioners about their supplement use. The article cites concerns about the risks of interactions for the elderly combining supplement use with pharmaceuticals.
According to CRN’s Andrea Wong, Ph.D., “Complementary and alternative medicine is becoming increasingly popular among Americans, who consider what used to be ‘alternative’ now to be a regular part of their integrated health regimen—one that goes beyond an over-reliance on pharmaceuticals. We hope doctors accept this is the new norm and take responsibility to open a dialogue. There should be no barriers between a doctor and a patient.” |
Oxilofrine does not belong in dietary supplements, says CRN
“Oxilofrine, also referred to as methylsynephrine, has not met the legal requirements for demonstrating it is reasonably expected to be safe,” CRN President & CEO Steve Mister stated in response to a study about pharmaceutical doses of the stimulant found in dietary supplements. He added that its marketers have not complied with the legal requirements for bringing a new dietary ingredient to market, making it illegal to be sold in dietary supplements.
CRN commended FDA for taking enforcement action against a select number of companies illegally marketing products containing oxilofrine. “We urge FDA to use all the resources at its disposal to take action to sanction these companies—and others—to remove the products from the marketplace. We urge consumers to follow FDA’s advice and not use any products marketed as supplements that contain methylsynephrine, oxilofrine, or p-hydroxyephedrine,” Mr. Mister said.
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