CONGRESS NEEDS TO START REGULATING DIET SUPPLEMENTS LIKE OTHER DRUGS

Emotional testimony on Capitol Hill this week has renewed calls for a
ban on the diet supplement ephedra. Banning ephedra makes sense, but
it also is part of a bigger problem that calls for a more
comprehensive solution.

The testimony came from the parents of Baltimore Orioles pitcher Steve
Bechler, who had been taking ephedra when he died during spring
training. While makers of ephedra products testified they are safe
when used properly, the General Accounting Office found many reports
of health problems from people who had followed label instructions.But
if Congress were to ban ephedra, what about other potentially harmful
supplements?

The regulators at the Food and Drug Administration are better
qualified to make such decisions. But Congress passed a misguided law
in 1994 that leaves supplements largely unregulated.

The law restricts the FDA's power by forcing it to come up with
conclusive proof that a supplement is harmful before banning it. By
contrast, prescription and over-the-counter drug manufacturers must
prove to the FDA their products are safe before they go on sale. Yet
in many cases, the distinction between supplements, which can have
powerful effects on the body, and drugs is almost meaningless.

This week, Health and Human Service Secretary Tommy Thompson called on
Congress to change the law. He would require supplement makers to tell
the FDA about potential side effects, as drug makers already do.

That would be a good start. It shouldn't take any more tragedies to
persuade Congress to act.