Dietary Supplements and the Risk of Drug Injury

April 3, 2014

Prescription and over-the-counter medications in the United States must undergo a rigorous approval process before they can be brought to market; however, dietary supplements fall into neither of those categories under the law, allowing many adulterated products to be sold to consumers. Too often, these products lead to users suffering a serious Drug Injury, like the 97 individuals who developed severe hepatitis and liver failure as a result of taking the supplement OxyElite Pro.

Cases like these leave many wondering how such hazardous products could be allowed on the market and what changes are being made to protect the public. An article from the New England Journal of Medicine explains the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) does not have the authority to require testing of dietary supplements before they are released. The organization is only allowed to step in if reports are received of the product causing harm to users.

Too often though, little is done to make a change. In the OxyElite Pro cases, a recall of the product was conducted, but no action was taken to ensure similar mistakes are not made in the future.

In order to achieve product safety with dietary supplements, some experts believe better regulation is the key. Laws are being considered that would require dietary supplement manufacturers to provide more detailed information about their products for review. Furthermore, changes to communication techniques among federal agencies that would allow more direct access to sharing information is vital.

The North Carolina Personal Injury Lawyers with HensonFuerst recognize the risks certain dietary supplements can pose and urge citizens to avoid using these products if at all possible.

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