Orrin hatch and the dietary supplement health and education act: Pandora's Box revisited

• Published in: Journal of child neurology Vol. 27; no. 5; p. 561
• Main Author: Pray, W Steven
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.05.2012
• Subjects: Consumer Product Safety; Dietary Supplements - adverse effects; Dietary Supplements - standards; Health Education; Humans; United States; United States Food and Drug Administration; United States
• ISSN: 1708-8283
• DOI: 10.1177/0883073812441064

Products of unknown safety and efficacy were once referred to as "quackery," and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was empowered to protect public health by preventing their sale and forcing them from the market. However, in 1994, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act legitimized their sale as "dietary supplements." Sales increased dramatically, and many Americans now use herbals, homeopathics, and other so-called supplements. The Food and Drug Administration cannot act against them until patients have already been harmed, a dangerous situation. Furthermore, no governmental agency has the authority to force the manufacturers to furnish proof of efficacy. It is vital for physicians to warn their patients that they should use these unproven products only with great caution, and must never discontinue legitimate medical therapy in lieu of unproven products.