Your June 30 article, “Dietary supplements: Manufacturing troubles widespread, FDA inspections show” by Thrine Tsouderos, is a perfect example of the bias and rampant sensationalism we have come to expect from major media when reporting on dietary supplements.
As consumers, we want our nutritional supplements to be as safe as possible. It is in the supplement industry’s best interests to make sure that supplements are safe, and the government’s numbers prove that—despite media hyperbole to the contrary—dietary supplements have a consistent track record for safety.
According to the CDC, more than half the US population takes a nutritional supplement. And even though billions of supplements are consumed each year, there are remarkably few adverse events reported, only about 1,000 per year, most of them minor. This is especially striking when compared with the more than 500,000 adverse events reported each year for prescription drugs. That’s over twelve hundred adverse event reports per day for prescription drugs!
We disagree with the FDA’s Dan Fabricant that the problems with Total Body Formula are “a classic case.” As a matter of fact, such serious supplement adverse events are so rare that media and supplement critics repeatedly roll out Total Body Formula’s problems from back in 2008 (as Dateline NBC did in its March 18, 2012, broadcast) to beat the anti-supplement drum.
We also fail to see how your reporter’s inclusion in her article of deaths linked to cough syrup made by a Panamanian pharmaceutical company in 2006 add anything of substance to your article other than fear-mongering.
Gretchen DuBeau
Executive and Legal Director
Alliance for Natural Health USA
16 comments
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The Chicago Tribune article was incredibly derogatory to the supplement industry considering they do not give the same descretion to teh drug manufacturers, was it not yesterday that Merck was fined 1 billion dollars for lying about their drugs among other charges. Why are we not having the same reports from the FDA come out about the dirty plants that drugs are manufactured in. I can guarantee you the situation is much worse!!!
It is anbout time that we all stand upto the FDA and say stop the BS and start doing the job we are paying you for. Quit if you cannot get out od the grips of Big Phram.
The FDA should all quit working the govenment and openly let everyone know that they really are in the back pocket ot Big Pharma. It is reallt that obvious to mostos us.
It is anbout time that we all stand upto the FDA and say stop the BS and start doing the job we are paying you for. Quit if you cannot get out od the grips of Big Phram.
The FDA should all quit working the govenment and openly let everyone know that they really are in the back pocket ot Big Pharma. It is reallt that obvious to mostos us.
It is anbout time that we all stand upto the FDA and say stop the BS and start doing the job we are paying you for. Quit if you cannot get out od the grips of Big Phram.
The FDA should all quit working the govenment and openly let everyone know that they really are in the back pocket ot Big Pharma. It is reallt that obvious to mostos us.
It is anbout time that we all stand upto the FDA and say stop the BS and start doing the job we are paying you for. Quit if you cannot get out od the grips of Big Phram.
The FDA should all quit working the govenment and openly let everyone know that they really are in the back pocket ot Big Pharma. It is reallt that obvious to mostos us.
It is anbout time that we all stand upto the FDA and say stop the BS and start doing the job we are paying you for. Quit if you cannot get out od the grips of Big Phram.
The FDA should all quit working the govenment and openly let everyone know that they really are in the back pocket ot Big Pharma. It is reallt that obvious to mostos us.
It is anbout time that we all stand upto the FDA and say stop the BS and start doing the job we are paying you for. Quit if you cannot get out od the grips of Big Phram.
The FDA should all quit working the govenment and openly let everyone know that they really are in the back pocket ot Big Pharma. It is reallt that obvious to mostos us.
This Trib article, splashed on the front page of the Sunday edition, shows how the MM has very much lost its true investigative purpose for the PEOPLE. My disgust reached new levels upon seeing it and I cancelled my 12-yr subscription to the Trib.
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I’ve said that least 3179231 times. SKC was here…