FDA Statements Indicate More Scrutiny & Recalls of Dietary Supplements - Some Have Ingredients with Potentially Lethal Risks

By Editor, on January 2nd, 2011

The FDA this year has issued several statements and recalls regarding dietary supplements discovered to contain undeclared drug ingredients. Studies have shown that some supplements may increase potentially lethal risks to patients and contain varying amounts of active compounds between brands.

The FDA’s latest statement highlighted a major issue –that in the dietary supplements market, safety and efficacy standards have been left up to the manufacturers and largely unregulated. As a result, pills, powders, supplements, and other products that contain drug or drug-like ingredients may be released and marketed as dietary supplements despite being drug products, the FDA statement said. “These tainted products can cause serious adverse effects, including strokes, organ failure, and death,” Margaret A. Hamburg, MD, commissioner of the FDA, said in the statement.

The statement indicated that the FDA and supplement industry are working together to stem the flow of illegally marketed drug products sold under the veil of “dietary supplements,” including weight-loss, body-building, and sexual enhancement products.”Part of the difficulty in regulating dietary supplements is that [some companies] operate outside of the law and don’t include manufacturer information on the label, so it can be impossible to contact someone and request a recall,” an FDA spokesperson told MedPage Today.”If you’re thinking about taking a supplement, always talk to a healthcare provider first — they know you best and what drugs you’re taking,” the spokesperson said.

Welcome

FDA Statements Indicate More Scrutiny & Recalls of Dietary Supplements - Some Have Ingredients with Potentially Lethal Risks

Login to Post Comments

The Fifteen Newest Updates on HelpingYouCare® As Of Today

New Posts on HelpingYouCare® by Day or Month

Subscribe to Our News Feeds

Recent Comments from our Online Community

News & Events

Survey/ Opinion Poll

Contribute Content

Featured on HelpingYouCare®

Advertise/ Sponsor this Site

Contribute

Contribute Content