Looking at industry, 2017 is a better year than 1997 for dietary supplements, as industry has matured from a plethora of cowboys (with some notable exceptions), to a self-policing industry that has embraced GMPs and transparency with the Supplement Owl. For FDA, 2017 marks another year that the agency continues to endanger the consumer by demanding such a high threshold for NDIN filing acceptance that many producers have simply gone to market, hoping to stay under the FDA radar. While FDA seems focused on claims, a practical system for vetting safe substances seems to have fallen by the wayside; it is almost as if the agency was playing chicken with public health and awaiting a catastrophe, which would force Congress to amend the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act to something giving the agency more control over supplements. By refusing to engage with industry on a more pragmatic level, the Office of Dietary Supplement Programs is missing an opportunity to protect and provide for the safety of the public.
The above appeared in Nutritional Outlook’s July/August article, “Is 2017 a Better Year for Dietary Supplements Than 1998.”