In this podcast interview, John Villafranco--a partner in Washington with the law firm Kelley Drye & Warren LLP--describes the "tremendous state of flux" at the Federal Trade Commission and the potential implications for the dietary supplement industry.

Josh Long, Associate editorial director, Natural Products Insider

September 14, 2017

In this podcast interview with Josh Long, INSIDER's legal editor, John Villafranco—a partner in Washington with the law firm Kelley Drye & Warren LLP—describes the “tremendous state of flux” at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC or Commission) and the potential implications for the dietary supplement industry. Among other topics, Villafranco weighs in on:

-- The historical role of the Commission;

-- FTC’s current makeup;

-- changes adopted by interim FTC chairwoman Maureen Ohlhausen;

-- potential names to lead the Commission;

-- The significance of a 2015 court decision in favor of Bayer and against the Commission; and

-- pending litigation against Quincy Bioscience over Prevagen, a supplement marketed to improve memory.

Villafranco will be speaking on Tuesday, Sept. 26, during a workshop at SupplySide West in Las Vegas. The workshop “Regulators and the Regulated,” will explore the Trump administration’s new FTC, lawsuits and investigations brought against the industry by state attorneys general, and the benefits of self-regulatory initiatives.

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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