Background:
The FDA is trying to block nutritional supplements introduced since 1994 from being sold to the public in the USA. Under this proposed bill (Dietary Supplement Labeling Act), any new dietary supplements will have to undergo extensive safety testing and an approval process similar to what new drugs undergo if the legislation is passed. Congress will be voting on this bill on October 1, 2011.
Some of the supplements introduced since 1994 include: resveratrol, ubiquinol CoQ10, curcumin and GABA. Resveratrol has anti-aging effects and is taken by many aging Americans. Ubiquinol CoQ10 promotes heart health effects. Curcumin has been shown to lower cholesterol, improve circulatory health and improve mental clarity. GABA has calming effects for people.
In October, 1994, Congress passed the Dietary Supplements Health and Education Act (DSHEA) that stated the “Federal Government would not take any actions to impose unreasonable regulatory barriers limiting or slowing the flow of safe products and accurate information to consumers.” The pharmaceutical industry has been lobbying the FDA since 1994 to overturn this act to hamper the manufacture and sale of nutritional supplements. The FDA is now proposing guidelines that will do this unless the public is willing to work with the manufacturers and retailers of supplements to stop the Dietary Supplement Labeling Act from becoming law on October 1, 2011.
What is really going on?
This new law is attempting to destroy the entire nutritional supplement industry. Big Pharma is waiting in the wings to sell supplements as formulated prescription drugs. Pharmaceutical companies can charge a huge profit on new drugs for up to 20 years from the time of patent filing on a new drug in order to recoup research costs. This happened with the supplement potassium several years ago. Now, worldwide, this supplement can only be bought as 99mg tablet size at the health food store. People would need to take 15 tablets from the health food store to get the same dosage as 1 tablet of a common prescription drug called Klor-Con. My husband takes two if these tablets each day. This tablet can become generic after 20 years, but in the meantime, this prescription potassium costs an exorbitant price of nearly $90 per 3 month supply (for what should be a very cheap potassium product).
Any time a new drug is formulated, the pharmaceutical company developing a new product can charge huge costs for up to 20 years to “recoup research costs.” Big Pharma is now trying to do this again with all the nutritional formulations developed since 1994. Another group of very profitable drugs soon coming off the 20 year timeframe to recoup research costs is the statin drugs. Big Pharma is probably eagerly awaiting the ability to add CoQ10 to the statin drug formulas in order to produce a new “product” and thus have another 20 years to charge exorbitant costs to all the millions of people using statin drugs for cholesterol control. People are encouraged by integrative cardiologists to take additional CoQ10 daily as this natural substance in the heart muscle is depleted with the long-term use of statin drugs.
Nutritional Supplements Safety
Many people prefer to take natural products in the form of nutritional supplements instead of prescription drugs with many side effects. Big Pharma has the billions of dollars required to conduct safety studies and clinical trials of nutritional supplements that they would love to sell and at much higher prices than the nutritional supplements are priced now.
There is no information of supplements on the market causing serious harm. Most prescription drugs have several side effects and some are considered adverse and cause deaths each year. As stated in the DSHEA law in 1994, “dietary supplements are safe within a broad range of intake, and safety problems with the supplements are relatively rare”.
What You Can Do
Call your Congressmen on September 8. The Alliance for Natural Health is encouraging Americans to call all of their Congressmen on September 8. The idea is to tie up telephone lines so that they notice. Also, send an email to your Congressman on this date.
Mail, fax or email your congressman and the FDA TODAY to ensure you can continue to buy your favorite supplements for your personal health.
The Alliance for Natural Health is hiring lawyers to fight this legislation. Visit their site for more information.
Forward this article to family and friends who value taking nutritional supplements!
After September 8, continue to call and email your congressmen and inform them of your opinion on this topic. With the many calls and emails, they will be forced to take notice of the number of people commenting on this subject.
Resources:
ANH-USA Files Emord-Drafted Analysis with FDA that Reveals Cockeyed Assumptions Behind Proposed New Supplement Guidance
Details on Our September 8 Call-In Lobbying Day
http://www.anh-usa.org/
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