On Nov. 12, drugmakers and search-engine advertising agencies participated in about 30 presentations before the FDA. The hearing room was so crowded that most people seeking an audience seat were turned away. What did the company executives say?

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.

The FDA has been busy this past month, sending out warning letters left and right on a variety of topics to Weill, P&G and others.

FDA Principal Deputy Commissioner Joshua M. Sharfstein, M.D. gave the keynote speech to the Council for Responsible Nutrition Conference yesterday. Dr. Sharfstein expressed a willingness to work with supplement industry members and received a warm welcome from industry members in return.

How closely can nutritional supplement companies connect with the fast-moving world of social media? The FDA will address these questions at a hearing Nov. 12-13 in Washington. The agency is soliciting comments in the Federal Register.

We are not sure of the reason, but it seems that every three months or so, a national media outlet weighs in on an old story: tainted nutritional supplements. The latest is a rehash of anecdotes with the same question: Are vitamins safe? So goes the Sept. 7 article in the Wall Street Journal headlined, “What’s Really in Supplements?”