American College of Physicians Calls for Stricter Regulation of Dietary Supplements

Published in the Annals of Internal Medicine journal, the American College of Physicians’ position paper calls for major changes to the way dietary supplements are regulated in the United States. In particular, it wants Congress to require supplements to go through a pre-market approval process similar to that used for pharmaceutical drugs.

However, existing United States law already provides a solid regulatory framework for supplements. Products containing illegal drug ingredients or unsafe substances are strictly prohibited. Introducing pharmaceutical-style approval requirements would result in increased costs, reduced consumer choice, and restricted access to supplements with long histories of safe use.

Significantly, therefore, the American College of Physicians has received funding, grants, sponsorships, and other forms of support from the drug industry. The members of its so-called ‘Healthcare Roundtable’ – from whom it openly acknowledges receiving support – include Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, GSK, Merck, Moderna, and Sanofi. Critics argue that it is in the interests of pharmaceutical companies for effective, safe supplements to be regulated in a more draconian fashion, to reduce the threat they pose to patented drugs.

Not coincidentally, perhaps, the publication of the American College of Physicians’ position paper follows news that the Europe is moving toward enforcing draconian limits on the permitted dosages of vitamins and minerals in supplements. As with the call for stricter regulations in the United States, the only people celebrating this will be executives and shareholders of the drug industry.

To learn how Europe’s planned restrictions on dietary supplements risk deepening a public health crisis, see this article on our website.