Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Dietary Supplements

So this is what I've been telling my patients who are on no prescription medications but a box full of "natural supplements"... there is really no one ensuring the quality of what is in those medicines... despite it being from a "reputable company"... and they usually cost quite a bit.  So I hope the FDA really does step up and start to oversee... 

Just saying... be careful... and my advice is always to have a conversation with your physician about whether or not anything you are taking is causing any harm...

This is from my AMA Morning Rounds newsletter: (American Medical Association)

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FDA to increase oversight of dietary supplements

The Washington Post (2/11, McGinley) reports the Food and Drug Administration announced that it plans to increase oversight of the dietary supplements industry due to increased risks to customers, including “unlisted drug ingredients, and false and misleading claims about health benefits.” The FDA “underscored the need for greater oversight by announcing it had sent 12 warning letters and five advisory letters earlier this month to companies the FDA said are selling dozens of products that contain unapproved drugs or make illegal claims for treating Alzheimer’s and other serious diseases.”
The New York Times (2/11, B6, Kaplan) reports FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., “suggested that Congress strengthen the FDA’s authority over” the supplements “industry, which sells as many as 80,000 kinds of powders and pills with little federal scrutiny.”