The Natural Products Association (NPA) submitted a letter to U.S. Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander and Ranking Member Patty Murray requesting the president’s nominee to lead the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clarify past comments related to the regulation of the supplement industry. Dr. Robert Califf, in a November 2010 report in Forbes, stated that supplements need to be “tested like drugs.”

“Does Dr. Califf actually think that vitamin C should be regulated the same way as Oxycontin?” said Dan Fabricant, CEO and executive director of NPA. “Treating supplements like pharmaceuticals would raise production costs to a level that would limit consumer’s access to the supplements they take every day. We are hopeful that Dr. Califf gets the opportunity to clarify his position during his confirmation hearing next week.”

In the letter, NPA wrote that it is “interested in hearing more about Dr. Califf’s plans to use all of the legal tools at his disposal, including working with the Department of Justice (DOJ), to prevent supplements masquerading as drugs from reaching consumers and ensuring people who break the law are punished.”

NPA also emphasized its position that “FDA should enforce the laws currently on the books to prevent criminals from tarnishing our industry.”

For more information, visit www.npainfo.org.