Weil Lifestyle

Dr. Weil lends his support to a pending bill that would protect Americans who take supplements.

Over half of Americans take one or more dietary supplements as part of a health conscious lifestyle. Congress is now considering legislation that would help better assure the safety of these products. The "Dietary Supplement and Non-Prescription Drug Consumer Protection Act," would require the manufacturers and distributors of dietary supplements and over-the-counter medications to forward any reports they receive of serious adverse events such as a hospitalization or persistent or significant disability related to the consumption of these products to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

As a doctor and a consumer of dietary supplements, I strongly support this important reform. Senators Orrin Hatch, Dick Durbin and Tom Harkin, among others, have crafted a bipartisan, common sense bill that deserves to be approved this year.

Here's why. Dietary supplements generally have a very safe track record so these serious adverse reactions are few and far between. However, requiring reporting by manufacturers would provide better early warning signals of potential product problems. It could more rapidly identify a batch of products that have been adulterated or tampered with. While not demonstrating causality, these reports might suggest trends with certain products or safety concerns that may not be identified through research.

The passage of S.3546 will also increase consumer confidence in the safety of their supplements and help companies more rapidly identify and correct safety problems. It will assure consumers that serious adverse reactions are rare and that problems will be corrected. And a strong national reporting system will be more efficient and effective than uncoordinated and potentially duplicative state and local systems.

This bipartisan bill is supported by a wide coalition of consumer and industry groups. While some argue that it will lead to a flood of bogus complaints, there is little evidence to back up these claims. In fact, the bill contains a provision making it illegal to knowingly file a false claim.

Passage of mandatory reporting legislation along with publication of final good manufacturing practice regulations are two much needed and overdue reforms that would benefit health conscious Americans.