Trade associations back steroid legislation

The dietary supplement industry trade associations AHPA, CHPA, CRN, NNFA, and UNPA have declared their support for legislation introduced on Thursday that would require steroid hormone precursors such as androstenedione ('andro') to be listed under the Controlled Substances Act.

The 'Anabolic Steroid Control Act of 2003' was introduced by Senators Joseph Biden (Democrat - Delaware) and Orrin Hatch (Republican -Utah).

In a joint statement on Friday, the trade associations said they joined the US Antidoping Agency (USADA) in supporting this legislation, which would effectively prevent the marketing of these substances as dietary supplements by regulating them as Schedule III controlled substances.

The trade associations said they believed that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had the authority to effectively deal with the andro issue under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). But they added that it is evident that continued controversy over this topic is damaging to the industry, the agency, and the athletes who could be banned from competition for using such products.

The associations also voiced further support for the provision in the new legislation that exempts the dietary ingredient dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA) from the listing. DHEA is a prohormone considered to have little or no potential for abuse as a performance- enhancing ingredient but with some demonstrated value in supporting normal hormone levels during aging.

In voicing their open support for the Biden bill the industry trade associations are aiming to demonstrate that they are taking active steps toward resolving some of the issues currently affecting consumer confidence in the dietary supplement category.

'The trade associations are eager to create an opportunity to refocus visibility on the safety and benefits of the industry's core products including vitamins, minerals, botanicals, amino acids, and specialty ingredients such as omega-3 fatty acids, SAM-e, glucosamine and chondroitin sulphate,'​ they stated.

AHPA (American Herbal Products Association) was established to promote the responsible commerce of products that contain herbs and that are used to enhance health and the quality of life. CHPA (Consumer Healthcare Products Association) represents US manufacturers and distributors of non-prescription, over-the-counter (OTC) medicines and nutritional supplements.

CRN (Council for Responsible Nutrition), meanwhile, represents manufacturers of dietary supplement ingredients and products, providing its member companies with regulatory guidance, scientific information on the benefits and safety of dietary supplements, public relations expertise, and legislative support.

NNFA (National Nutritional Foods Association) represents the interests of around 5,000 retailers, manufacturers, and distributors of natural products, including health foods, dietary supplements, and cosmetics and UNPA (Utah Natural Products Alliance) represents the interests of the $3 billion dietary supplement industry based in Utah.