Posted on 09/26/2011 2:39:10 PM PDT by EBH
A few weeks ago, I wrote to you about the FDAs proposed new policy on dietary supplements that could make it impossible or very expensive for you to purchase the natural products you rely on to support your health. The open comment period on the FDAs proposed guidelines ends on September 30, so NOW is the time to act and let your voice be heard if you want to retain your right to access supplements. (Scroll down to the bottom of this article to learn how you can get involved.)
If the FDA has its way, all vitamins, herbs and other dietary supplements will soon be classified in the same manner as unapproved drugs and synthetic food additives. The results of this change in classification could be disastrous for both natural health consumers and the natural health industry. Resveratrol, CoQ10, curcumin and even many multivitamins could be pulled from the market, and those that remain available may become so expensive that many people wont be able to afford them. Supplement companies that cannot afford to put their products through the FDAs intensive, burdensome drug trial process may be forced out of business, leaving room for pharmaceutical companies to swoop in and profit at your expense.
You know that Big Pharma is surely working hard behind the scenes to make sure that this law is passed, and that they carry incredible influence with the FDA and the government in general. This means that we all need to work together and use the power of the people to stop this from happening. Unless we stop these new guidelines from going in to effect, we stand to lose our right to access the natural healing tools that many of us depend on as alternatives to expensive and often dangerous pharmaceutical drugs.
(Excerpt) Read more at stopagingnow.com ...
>>> So, businesses should be allowed to claim their products do anything they say they do without having to provide any evidence? That’s not how things work. >>>
You are missing the point - this is talking about banning products - not limiting their claims. Their claims are already limited by disclaimers the government forces them to put on their labels.
And wow, nothing quite like that delightful trait of the Freeper who is selective in their limited government pro liberty positions.
Perhaps you should understand that businesses, with a few exceptions, are allowed to do just that. As consumers, we are free to decide for ourselves. We also have remedies of fraud law suits at our disposal.
Not to mention, all supplements have disclaimers on them and they do have to pass safety standards.
>>> I take the supplements I need at fairly modest cost. I do NOT need some government regulator forcing me to pay ten times as much. >>>
AMEN - and with respects to something like Co Q 10 — if we get 20 years down the road before we can prove it helps - that means a lot of us will have lost those years of quality life. Meanwhile, it is doing no hard so what’s the big deal if it isn’t helping as much as the supplement companies claim?
This is classic liberty versus totalitarian / crony capitalism battle, and I am shocked some Freepers are on the wrong side of this.
My Doctor just put me on a very concentrated dosing of vitamins and minerals for my macular condition. Leave it to the barry bassturd thuggery to make the vits and minerals prescription only and double in price.
That's a bunch of alarmist nonsense. No one is going to take your Ginko Biloba, Vitamin C or CoQ10 away. Anyone believing otherwise isn't thinking clearly. However, if the product isn't labeled correctly, doesn't offer the amount of active ingredient listed, or makes claims it can't support, that's another story. The government absolutely has a responsibility to protect consumers from snake oil salesmen.
And wow, nothing quite like that delightful trait of the Freeper who is selective in their limited government pro liberty positions.
I'm absolutely pro-liberty, but I'm also anti-stupidity. I expect that when a manufacturer claims a particular product does something, and contains X amount of active ingredient, that it does. I don't have the time and energy to research every product I purchase, especially when it comes to things I put in my body. Anyone who thinks that food and drug safety hasn't improved dramatically since safeguards were put in place (yes by government), doesn't have any idea what he's talking about.
Perhaps you should understand that businesses, with a few exceptions, are allowed to do just that. As consumers, we are free to decide for ourselves. We also have remedies of fraud law suits at our disposal.
Apparently, you are also unaware of just how many adulterated and counterfeit drugs are on the market today. But you'd know if the drugs you were ordering on line were adulterated or counterfeit, right? How could you be sure when the companies purchasing them can't be sure? After you've given that Canadian company your money, and got nothing of value in return, you could sue them for damages. Let me know how that works out for you.
Not to mention, all supplements have disclaimers on them and they do have to pass safety standards.
LOL! Oh, yeah. Tell us all about those safety standards and the effectiveness of "disclaimers." Unlike with drugs, supplement makers don't have to prove their products are safe or effective before they reach the market. That may be ok with you, but that's not how things should work.
“The government absolutely has a responsibility to protect consumers from snake oil salesmen.”
I stopped reading there. Perhaps you wandered into the wrong forums? If you get on a boat from the west coast of the USA, and sail west, you should hit a country you’ll be right at home at. Here’s a hint, it starts with C and ends with hina.
It’s up to us to look after ourselves and each other, not some government, that’s exactly they kind of thing we don’t want.
Your faith in government and the FDA and the purity of the bureaucrats within and the purity of the motivation of lobbyists for big pharma indicate that we are on two different planets with regard to limited government.
G day
I should have stopped reading where you stopped, but I tortured myself with the rest of his (her) leftist nanny state clap trap.
We weren’t born perfect, and sometimes a train wreck is a hard thing to look away from.
I got involved at that time and McCain was one of the proponents at the time!
Not necessarily. If you purchase supplements noted USP certified, these are far safer as products are tested accordin to a fairly strict set of guidelines. Anything else is a crap shoot. How do I know? I work in Business Development for a contract manufacturing house. I get all kinds of off the wall calls for these types of products. We produce and treat all of our products like they are Rx to maintain quality. Not everyone practices safe and clean mfg/pkg.
Gist of it...
if it is the same or lower than conventional food use no NDI is needed.
So would that mean those of us taking supplements, as the name implies to add to our diets, will be paying significantly more for them or they will simply vanish of the market.
I just bought a bottle VitD3 5,000 I.U. which may be OK according to this flow chart.
What about the melatonin?
Some stuff may clear the hurdles provided there is no change in the manufacturing process. But it appears anything new cannot be more than what is in conventional foods. That’s the catch.
What an idiotic statist comment. Do you take any vitamins or supplements? There are some very good ones out there that could boost your brainpower among other things
You have to be an educated consumer. There are worthless supplements too. Not harmful but worthless, you get nothing for your money. As for you, don’t take the harmful supplements.
F’n McCain....figures
And the GOVERNMENT should be involved... why???
Bamahead... big government ping...
Maybe you think we're better off not having anyone checking imported products from Mexico and China for wholesomeness. Perhaps you're ok with purchasing expensive therapies that contain no active ingredients. Don't you trust yourself to be able to determine that what's in the package is real and effective? Drug companies don't ever make mistakes or cut corners. Food suppliers never do things that aren't in the best interest of consumers. I'm sure the government in China does all it can to protect its citizens from the purveyors of dangerous products. That is such a common trait of communist governments. You idiot.
The FDA and USDA are bureaucratic behemoths that cause all sorts of problems. That's not the way it was supposed to be. Even so, only an idiot thinks food and drug safety was better before those organizations came along.
I read the document. I saw nothing that supports this claim.
The document contains "non-binding recommendations" about notifying the agency about use of new dietary ingredients. That's very different from a basis for pulling vitamins off the market.
My recollection is that the clampdown on nutraceuticals/supplements was the payoff for Big Pharma’s support of Obamacare.
Yes, it's clear that you think it far too intrusive that consumers be relatively sure that what the drug company says is in the product is actually in the product and does what they claim it does. I don't know why that seems unreasonable to you, but to each his own.
When you go to sources like Live in the Now for your news about proposed legislation, drug efficacy and Big Pharma/big government corruption, you're probably going to come off as someone who doesn't have a clue. Well done. Please keep using this highly reputable publication as your source for news. They like scaring ignorant people.
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