Ban Fish Oil Imports?

That is what a Pharma firm lawsuit seeks to do. It also opens up a novel front in the war on natural products by asking the US International Trade Commission to help create a new monopoly by knocking out imported EPA, the most anti-inflammatory kind of fish oil. Urgent Action Alert!
Amarin, the maker of an omega-3 drug, is taking the first steps to corner an important part of the fish oil market by asking the US International Trade Commission (ITC) to ban the importation of omega-3 dietary supplements that are composed mainly of the omega-3 known as  EPA (not to be confused with the federal agency). EPA is best known for its anti-inflammatory properties. Banning one of the most anti-inflammatory of foods, with inflammation linked to so many illnesses, with so many in pain, and with a pain prescription drug crisis going on, strikes us as almost unbelievable.  Will we let another important,  affordable, natural food or supplement be turned into a costly and difficult to obtain drug?  Note also that this opens a new front in the war on natural products by going to ITC rather than the FDA or FTC to try to create a new monopoly.
Here are some more resources on the importance of omega-3’s and the differences between them.

From Seeking Alpha
Amarin (NASDAQ:AMRNfiles a lawsuit with the U.S. International Trade Commission seeking a ban on the importation of omega-3 dietary supplements that are mainly comprised of the ester form of omega-3 called EPA. It wants the ITC to issue a general exclusion order prohibiting the importation of such products claiming the unregulated offerings represent “injurious unfair competition” to Vascepa [icosapent ethyl], approved by the FDA in July 2012 to reduce triglyceride levels in people with severely elevated levels of triglycerides. It also seeks a cease-and-desist order for all inventory of said products already in the U.S.

16 comments

  1. Many fish are becoming endangered and/or their populations are decreasing due to over-fishing by humans. Krill is an important food source for many fish and or marine mammals, but their numbers are decreasing because of the human demand for krill oil, to the detriment of the fish and marine mammals.
    A better alternative, natural, is vegetable and plant seed oils. Plant based EFAs are an excellent source of natural fatty acids.
    I do not represent the company, but would like to suggest a good supplement which I use, which is the YES company (Your Essential Supplements), which offers Plant-Based Parents oil, Plus GLA, Ultimate EFAs.

        1. I would have to say that first, you need to offer some proof of your contention that plant based oils are as good as fish oil.

          1. If what you post is private do not do this on an open forum. What you offered in your original post is not proof but some opinion. So your attitude is not proof but escape of the issue of your lack of proof.

          2. Open forums provide the opportunities for readers to respond to other posters’ comments, and that is what I did.
            Yes, what I stated is my opinion. In continuing your negative comments, it makes it appear as though somehow my opinion is threatening.

          3. Your “opinion” does not threaten me. You are the one who started with the “proof” evidence and so I asked for yours. Your opinion is gladly accepted.

          4. My asking for proof of Stephen was in response to his statement, “Sorry, but plant source oils are not an adequate substitute for fish EPA/DHA fatty acids”, which was only a flat statement of disagreement, with no explanation to further back up what he said.
            Then Stephen did not reply, but you jumped in and inserted your ad hominem attack on me that I needed to offer proof, which was beside the point because I only wanted to know why Stephen had made that statement. I don’t think that you are Stephen to make a reply for him.
            Then you further attacked me and free speech by saying that my statements should only be in private, implying that i did not have the right to say anything on the Open Forum, where everyone else, including you, was saying whatever they wanted. Open Forums are just that, Open Forums.
            Your saying that I “started with the ‘proof’ evidence” is just a further blatant attack on me for what I had originally said, and which you apparently did not like.

          5. This has degraded and has no further relevance. Stephen said that plant based oils are not adequate and you asked him for proof. I only asked for opposing proof from you. I can not take responsibility for your being threatened by having to offer proof.

    1. The Parent Essential Oil argument only works if you selectively read the research and ignore the vast majority of articles that don’t support YES’s conclusions. The conversion in humans of the shorter chain omega-3s to the longer chain omega-3s is inefficient and won’t achieve the down-regulation of delta-6 desaturase to reduce production of inflammatory icosanoids.
      I had the opportunity to participate in a debate between Brian Peskin (the proponent of PEOs and owner of the YES product line) and an actual researcher of omega-3s and Brian backed off every point he tries to make in his book and talks to finally end up with to not take insane amounts of fish oils.
      Brian just declares any research he doesn’t like as invalid. He demands to be referred to as “Professor Peskin” when he’s only got a bachelor’s in electrical engineering and somehow was an adjunct professor for a year at Texas Southern University. I find it difficult to take his claims seriously.

  2. I believe fish oil is an important source of nutrition, but sadly our oceans are now contaminated with radioactive particles from Fukushima. There is no safe amount of radioactive contamination, and a Geiger counter is not adequate for testing. Someone needs to step up and start testing everything from the Pacific Ocean for radioactive contamination, and others need to be working to stop the continuing flow of radioactive particles from Fukushima.

    1. What about our contaminated air and soil also? Honestly, the Earth IS contaminated. Look not for the governments to solve any problem they created.

    2. Let’s remember that Fukushima is not the first, nor the last to contaminate our waters. (Nr air and soil.) Our earth has been seriously contaminated since we began using fossil fuel and the nuclear contamination began with the US testing and then firing the atomic bombs. I’m not anti-US, but I am also not willing to blame a small country, especially one that was so badly injured by our choices during the second world war.

      1. I don’t blame Japan at all. In fact, it was GE who sold nuclear reactors to Japan, a country that should never have been sold nuclear reactors due to geographic and weather conditions. We should be working together to solve the problem, and frankly, GE should be paying for it.

      2. Who started WWII? Germany and Japan and to a minor extent Italy. And what choice did we have to end the war but to deploy the atomic bomb? I think you need to check your history and not believe the hype of today’s revised history.

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