A report released this month by the Department of Health and Human Services’ (DHHS) Office of Inspector General indicates that many of the 127 immune support and weight loss supplements it analyzed did not adhere to FDA guidance. The Inspector General found that 20% of the supplements’ labels included illegal claims to prevent, diagnose or treat disease, and 7% of labels lacked the disclaimer that statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. As for the supplements’ human studies, 98% tested an active ingredient instead of the actual product, 85% involved biased trials, 49% did not focus on the specific groups that will take the supplement and 4% had results inconsistent with the supplements’ claims. The Inspector General also noted that the FDA does not have an adequate tracking system for notification letters, which manufacturers must submit to the FDA. The FDA could produce only 16% of the 127 notification letters received in 2011. Of these letters, 80% did not include all of the necessary data, and 57% had structural and functional claims that contradicted the information on the labels.

Source: DHHS