Congressman Tells Regulators NDI Guidance Needs Redo

Sometimes we constituents wonder if our voices are heard. Well for those in the 14th district of Illinois, Rep. Randy Hultgren (R) got a minute of floor time in a recent House session and told his fellow legislators the voices from his district are demanding free access to healthy dietary supplements and a reworking of FDA's draft guidance on new dietary ingredient (NDI) notifications.

According to the Congressional Record (Dec. 8), Hultgren took the floor and said FDA has spent the last 17 years trying to ignore congressional intent and, instead, create a new regulatory regime for dietary supplements. "Millions of Americans, including many of my constituents and my family, rely on dietary supplements as part of their everyday health maintenance routine," he said, noting supplements play an important role in ensuring that people take individual responsibility for preventative health care. "We all can agree that the FDA should not limit Americans' access to dietary supplements."

Hultgren reminded his fellow regulators President Obama signed an executive order in January of this year, ensuring FDA's new rules would not limit access to dietary supplements. "Last week, the comment period on the FDA's draft guidance closed," he acknowledged. " Now that they've heard from the public, and now that I'm sure they've heard from countless Americans who share my concern, I urge them to go back to the drawing board and ensure that they do not limit Americans' access to dietary supplements."

Kudos to Rep. Hultgren for standing up for the industry in this struggle to reach fair and effective guidelines for NDI notifications.

Whoever has been visiting Rep. Hultgren's office during Natural Products Day has been doing a good job educating the congressman on the industry's benefits and regulatory challenges.