An FDA official who regulates dietary supplements discussed the importance of research in enabling the agency to adjust to the times and protect the public health.

Josh Long, Associate editorial director, Natural Products Insider

April 3, 2017

2 Min Read
Dietary Supplement Official: FDA Cant Freeze in Time

An FDA official who regulates dietary supplements on Monday emphasized the importance of research as her office of 26 employees strives to keep pace with changes in the market over the last 22 years.

In 1994, there were an estimated 600 supplement manufacturers in the United States producing about 4,000 products, with annual sales of at least US$4 billion, Congress noted in the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA).

Today, there are more than 7,000 registered facilities, 75,000-plus products on the market (according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH)), and the industry is valued at up to $40 billion, reported Cara Welch, Ph.D., senior advisor to FDA’s Office of Dietary Supplement Programs (ODSP).

Speaking Monday during the 17th Annual Oxford International Conference on the Science of Botanicals in Mississippi, Welch observed DSHEA imposed most dietary supplement requirements over two decades ago.

“But the industry didn’t freeze in time," she said. “It has grown. It has changed. It’s become more complex. And neither can we—FDA—freeze in time for 22 years."

We can’t regulate the market like we did 22 years ago," Welch continued. “We can’t regulate it as if it were the mid-90s. We have to expand and adjust our enforcement techniques [and] our priorities to keep up with this complex industry."

Research plays an important role in enabling ODSP to adjust to the times and achieve its objectives, including protecting the public health.

For instance, Welch cited research examining how herbs interact with the human body. Such toxicological research can show an ingredient is dangerous, or demonstrate an absence of harm.

“Maybe, there aren’t potential interactions," Welch acknowledged. “Maybe, the research that we are undertaking demonstrates that there isn’t a link between this herb and this drug or…this herb isn’t actually a problem in the body."

Welch also cited the importance of developing analytical methods to detect dangerous compounds in products. During the conference, one of Welch’s colleagues at ODSP was scheduled to discuss a method for analyzing anti-diabetic, anti-obesity, and cholesterol-lowering drugs in botanical supplements labeled for blood sugar management.

“Having these methods on hand, and established in our laboratories, is really important," Welch said. “For FDA, it helps us identity the products that are tainted with these drugs and hopefully get them out of consumers’ hands as soon as possible."

Removing such adulterated products from the market contributes to ODSP’s No. 1 priority: protecting consumers.

Said Welch: “It’s always going to be our top priority."

About the Author(s)

Josh Long

Associate editorial director, Natural Products Insider, Informa Markets Health and Nutrition

Josh Long directs the online news, feature and op-ed coverage at Natural Products Insider, which targets the health and wellness industry. He has been reporting on developments in the dietary supplement industry for over a decade, with a focus on regulatory issues, including at the Food and Drug Administration.

He has moderated and/or presented at industry trade shows, including SupplySide East, SupplySide West, Natural Products Expo West, NBJ Summit and the annual Dietary Supplement Regulatory Summit.

Connect with Josh on LinkedIn and ping him with story ideas at [email protected]

Education and previous experience

Josh majored in journalism and graduated from Arizona State University the same year "Jake the Snake" Plummer led the Sun Devils to the Rose Bowl against the Ohio State Buckeyes. He also holds a J.D. from the University of Wyoming College of Law, was admitted in 2008 to practice law in the state of Colorado and spent a year clerking for a state district court judge.

Over more than a quarter century, he’s written on various topics for newspapers and business-to-business publications – from the Yavapai in Arizona and a controversial plan for a nuclear-waste incinerator in Idaho to nuanced issues, including FDA enforcement of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA).

Since the late 1990s, his articles have been published in a variety of media, including but not limited to, the Cape Cod Times (in Massachusetts), Sedona Red Rock News (in Arizona), Denver Post (in Colorado), Casper Star-Tribune (in Wyoming), now-defunct Jackson Hole Guide (in Wyoming), Colorado Lawyer (published by the Colorado Bar Association) and Nutrition Business Journal.

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