Sen. Durbin introduced the amendment to the pending Food and Drug Administration (FDA) User Fee Act to require supplement facility registration and product listing.
However, the US Senate yesterday (Thursday) approved Senator Tom Harkin’s motion to table the Durbin amendment by a final vote of 77-20.
Jeff Wright, president of the Natural Products Association (NPA), said: “The Senate vote was a significant victory for the industry. Senator Durbin announced his intention to seek a vote on his amendment for the first time late Tuesday evening and worked hard to ‘whip’ votes on his surprise amendment all day Wednesday and Thursday, including making several statements on the Senate floor.”
The industry trade associations rallied their membership and other industry stakeholders, and all five trade associations came together to issue a joint statement expressing their united opposition to the amendment.
“It is important that we all remember that the regulation of dietary supplements remains a hot topic for members of Congress. We must remain engaged because these issues are likely to be revisited,” said Wright.
Unity
Michael McGuffin, president of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), said the prompt and cooperative action of the supplement trade associations over the last several days “reaffirms the incredible unity of the dietary supplement industry when legislative threats to DSHEA emerge”.
“AHPA would like to thank our supporters in the Senate and the many supplement companies that contacted their senators to defeat Senator Durbin's amendment and its regulatory overreach and red tape,” he added.
Mike Greene, vice president, government relations for the Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), added that current law provides FDA enough authority to protect consumers eliminating the need for duplicative measures such as Durbin’s amendment.
"CRN was proud to work side by side with our industry champions Sens. Hatch and Harkin. Their continued support for our industry and belief in the basic tenets of the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) ensures that consumers have access to safe and beneficial products," said Greene.