GUEST POST BY DAVID MARK
The Washington Post recently published an article asserting that vitamin D is shaping up to be the nutrient of the year, if not the decade. The article started factually strong but weakened at the end when it made specific recommendations.
The Post references an article in Consumer Reports titled “Most people get [...]
The first paragraph in the New York Times story said it all: “The Drug Enforcement Administration has classified as controlled substances three steroids that are marketed as dietary supplements, but an antidoping official warned that new steroids have taken their place on the shelves of nutrition stores.”
The DEA’s actions are the equivalent of the carnival [...]
David Frum could have lowered his rhetorical blood pressure in his CNN.com guest commentary on the evils of dietary supplement marketing by reading the FTC regulations that go into effect on Tuesday. His column then would have begun: The party is over Dec. 1.
News reports bring into question the efficacy and safety of some vitamins. However, there is an even greater threat from a product with no proven side effects and a very low price.
Two days of hearings before the FDA about search-based advertising for drugs produced one possible solution: fixed warnings for products. Google has proposed that its AdWords could include a hyperlinked line that warns consumers about the potential dangers of a drug.
Should there be a language standard in Google ads for supplements? Drug marketers may adopt rules given the close scrutiny that the FDA is giving search-generated ads for pharmaceuticals. It may also be time for makers and marketers to set rules what is allowed.
