Synopsis: Unlike prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vitamins, herbs and other dietary supplements do not have to go through an approval process at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration before they’re put on store shelves. They do not have to prove in advance that they are safe and effective. I recently reported on how some supplements are spiked with prescription drugs. Dietary pills spiked with Viagra, other drugs
Here are some tools for digging into the issue:
FDA Recall Notices and Safety Alerts: The FDA posts warnings about various food, drug and dietary products on this web site: FDA Safety Alerts You can also sign up on this page to receive email alerts of new recalls.
FDA Enforcement Reports: Additional issues can be found by searching through the agency’s on-line enforcement reports, using terms such as “supplement” or “vitamin.” FDA Enforcement Reports
FDA Adverse Reaction Data: The agency recently began requiring companies that sell dietary supplements to file reports on serious reactions to their products. The data, as well as individual reports, are subject to release under the federal Freedom of Information Act. But beware: The FDA is incredibly slow in responding to FOIA requests. I recently started receiving documents requested from them from 2003. For information about how to file FOIA requests with the FDA, go to: FDA FOIA Handbook
One way to shortcut long waits at the agency is to determine whether someone else has already had the information you want (or something close to it) released under an earlier FOIA request. If it has -- and you or a friend can get the Washington, D.C., area – you can make an appointment at FDA’s FOIA Reading Room to view the previously released materials.
Federal Trade Commission: The FTC regulates the advertising claims of dietary supplements and has taken action against a number of firms. Searching through the agency’s press releases is a quick way to find recent cases: FTC Press Release Index
GAO Reports: The Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress, has issued some reports on the regulation of dietary supplements. Go to GAO
Cochrane Reviews: If you’re interested in the practice of “evidence-based medicine,” Cochrane Reviews are a great source of information. The Cochrane Collaboration performs systemic reviews of available evidence of the effectiveness of a wide range of treatments. While subscribers and journalists with site credentials can access more information, abstracts are available for free at Cochrane Reviews
U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Another source for reports evaluating the evidence of whether dietary supplements (and other treatments) work, is the AHRQ. To view the agency’s evidence reports, go to AHRQ
PubMed: Cochrane and AHRQ evaluate the weight of evidence provided by various studies by looking at their size, design and other factors. But if you want to look for studies in general, you can search abstracts through the National Library of Medicine’s PubMed site: PubMed
National Institutes of Health’s Office of Dietary Supplements: This is another good source of information. Go to NIH Supplements Office
What other tips do you have to offer? Please post them in the comments section of this article.
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