Slimming Medicine: FDA asked to Eliminate Supplements - NewsGrabs 1 June 2008

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Slimming Medicine: FDA asked to Eliminate Supplements

- NewsGrabs 1 June 2008

_http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2008/06/01/slimming_medicine_fda_asked_t

o_eliminate_supplements_newsgrabs_1_june_2008.htm_

(http://www.newmediaexplorer.org/sepp/2008/06/01/slimming_medicine_fda_asked_to_\

eliminate_supplements_new

sgrabs_1_june_2008.htm)

 

 

_Slimming Claims are Medical: Petition to FDA_

(http://www.thenhf.com/press_releases/pr_27_may_2008.html)

_http://www.thenhf.com/press_releases/pr_27_may_2008.html_ (http://ww

w.thenhf.com/press_releases/pr_27_may_2008.html)

 

The American Dietetic Association, the American Diabetes Association, the

Obesity Society, and pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have filed a

Citizen Petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reclassify all

dietary-supplement weight-loss claims as disease claims. It should be noted

that in the Petition, GlaxoSmithKline freely states that it has and provides

unrestricted grants to all of these groups.

So we have an actual instance of disease mongering here. Pharma is declaring

being overweight a disease, and is quite openly going after that pesky

competition of food supplements by asking the FDA for a change of rules.

I wonder whether anti-trust laws could swing into action here...

--------------

 

PRESS RELEASE

FDA Dietary Supplement Disease Claim Petition

 

Dietary Supplement Disease Claims

 

ACT NOW

 

 

_http://www.thenhf.com/press_releases/pr_27_may_2008.html_

(http://www.thenhf.com/press_releases/pr_27_may_2008.html)

 

May 27, 2008

 

The American Dietetic Association, the American Diabetes Association, the

Obesity Society, and pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) have filed a

Citizen Petition with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to reclassify all

dietary-supplement weight-loss claims as disease claims. It should be noted

that in the Petition, GlaxoSmithKline freely states that it has and provides

unrestricted grants to all of these groups.

Of course, there are some unreasonable weight-loss claims being made by

certain dietary supplement company advertisements in the same way that any

business has its rogues; the pharmaceutical industry itself could certainly

attest

to that since it is full of rogues. Regardless of the merits of such rogue

advertisements, which are co-regulated by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

and the FDA, this Petition sets the stage for other big pharmaceutical company

challenges to other types of claims for supplements. It also poses what

would constitute irreparable damage to the dietary-supplement industry as well

as irrevocable losses to consumer health freedom of choice.

Citizen petitions are supposed to be a formal means for a citizen, or more

broadly the public, to contact the FDA and seek its action or response on a

particular matter. The original intent of citizen petitions has been perverted

to now facilitate “citizen†petitions from corporate behemoths such as GSK.

In other words, petitions from these corporate mini-states should be more

accurately called “Big Pharmaceutical Petitions.â€

As soon as possible, NHF members and other concerned individuals should file

comments in opposition to the FDA's review of this Petition. Comments may

be made either online or by mailing in a letter.

 

To View the original Citizens Petition filed by the American Dietetic

Association, the Obesity Society, Shaping America's Health, and GlaxoSmithKline

Consumer Healthcare- (_Click Here_

(http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs/federal/FDA-2008-P-0248-0001.pdf) )

View Sample Petition Letter- (_Click Here_

(http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs/federal/FDA_Disease_Claim_Sample_Petit\

ion.doc) )

_http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs/federal/FDA_Disease_Claim_Sample_Petit\

ion.doc_

(http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs/federal/FDA_Disease_Claim_Sample_Petit\

ion.doc

)

To File Comments-

(1) (_Click Here To Send Comments Directly to FDA_

(http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment & o=09000\

06480511d9b) )

_http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment & o=09000\

06480

511d9b_

(http://www.regulations.gov/fdmspublic/component/main?main=SubmitComment & o=09000\

06480511d9b)

(2) Download from the NHF website (_Click Here_

(http://www.thenhf.com/government_affairs/federal/FDA_Disease_Claim_Sample_Petit\

ion.doc) ) a sample comment

letter stating your case against the GSK Petition and sending it by regular

mail to the FDA.

 

To mail a letter-

 

Food and Drug Administration

5600 Fishers Lane

Rockville, Maryland 20857

Issue:

 

Docket ID FDA-2008-P-0248

Docket Title- Treat Weight Loss Claims for Dietary Supplements as Disease

Claims Document ID FDA-2008-P-0248-0001

Document Title- American Dietetic Association, The Obesity Society, Shaping

America’s Health and GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare-Citizen Petition

 

 

Act now to prevent another infringement of your liberties.

 

 

 

_Click here for the permanent link to this press release, use this link to

inform others._ (http://www.thenhf.com/press_releases/pr_27_may_2008.html)

 

 

National Health Federation: Established in 1955, the National Health

Federation is a consumer-education, health-freedom organization working to

protect

individuals' rights to choose to consume healthy food, take supplements and

use alternative therapies without unnecessary government restrictions. The NHF

is the only such organization with recognized observer-delegate status at

Codex meetings. _www.thenhf.com_ (http://www.thenhf.com/)