Senators Reach Agreement on Restricting Supplements

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Senators Reach Agreement on Restricting Supplements

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By: HOWARD FENDRICH

Associated Press

03/11/10 6:25 AM PST

WASHINGTON - Stricter government oversight of dietary supplements is moving

closer thanks to an agreement among senators to include guidelines in a food

safety bill.

Four key areas of " common ground " are outlined in a letter sent by Sens.

McCain, an Arizona Republican, and Byron Dorgan, a North Dakota

Democrat, to Sen. Tom Harkin, the Iowa Democrat who chairs the Senate

Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

McCain and Dorgan were co-sponsors of legislation introduced last month, the

Dietary Supplement Safety Act, aimed at regulating the industry. This week's

letter to Harkin - also sent to the committee's top Republican, Sen. Mike Enzi

of Wyoming, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, a Utah Republican - talks about incorporating

the " areas of agreement " into the FDA Food Safety

Modernization Bill.

Those provisions include:

_requiring all dietary supplement manufacturing, processing and holding

facilities to register with the Secretary of Health and Human Services;

_giving the Food and Drug Administration authority to issue a mandatory

recall order if a dietary supplement is adulterated or misbranded or " the

use of such supplement could cause serious adverse health consequences such as

death; "

_requiring the FDA commissioner to publish guidelines on new dietary

ingredients " as soon as possible; "

_mandating that the FDA notify the Drug Enforcement Administration when a

new product contains a synthetic anabolic steroid.

Athletes from various sports have blamed positive drug tests on substances

that turn up in dietary supplements even though they aren't listed as

ingredients on the label.

McCain has said his bill would protect professional and Olympic athletes -

along with casual sports participants who use supplements.

Pro sports leagues and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency have been supporting

McCain's efforts on supplements, and USADA chief executive officer

Tygart said Wednesday the letter indicates areas in which the new

legislative effort " fills holes. "

" These are obviously needed improvements, and the agreement provides

additional consumer protections which are certainly important to all

athletes and why the pro sports and the Olympic sports came together to push for

better regulation, " Tygart said in a telephone interview with The

Associated Press. " It also continues to allow all consumers to have access

to legitimate supplements. It's a fair balance, and this step in the process has

resulted in a quick and beneficial agreement. "

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End of NMCAAMP Digest, Vol 158, Issue 1

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