07.02.12
The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly against an amendment (SA 2127)—sponsored by Senator Richard Durbin (D-IL)—to the pending Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Safety and Innovation Act (S. 3187), by a vote of 77 to 20. The amendment, if passed, would have set new requirements for dietary supplement manufacturers to register all products and their ingredients with FDA within 30 days of introduction, reformulation or discontinuation.
Speaking on the Senate Floor in advance of a vote on the Durbin Amendment, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), said the amendment “is based on the misguided presumption that the current regulatory framework for dietary supplements is flawed and that the FDA lacks authority to regulate these products.” He added that instead of allowing FDA to utilize the resources it already has under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), which Hatch co-authored, the Durbin Amendment “serves to punish all responsible companies with its overreaching mandates.”
“The Senate vote was a significant victory for the industry,” said Jeff Wright, president of the Natural Products Association (NPA), Washington, D.C. “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.” Mr. Wright went on to say that NPA worked in tandem with five industry trade associations, reaching out to “Congressional champions and fellow stakeholders,” as well as its grassroots network, “which responded with a flood of outreach to Capitol Hill,” ultimately resulting in the amendment being defeated.
Speaking on the Senate Floor in advance of a vote on the Durbin Amendment, Senator Orrin Hatch (R-UT), said the amendment “is based on the misguided presumption that the current regulatory framework for dietary supplements is flawed and that the FDA lacks authority to regulate these products.” He added that instead of allowing FDA to utilize the resources it already has under the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), which Hatch co-authored, the Durbin Amendment “serves to punish all responsible companies with its overreaching mandates.”
“The Senate vote was a significant victory for the industry,” said Jeff Wright, president of the Natural Products Association (NPA), Washington, D.C. “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.” Mr. Wright went on to say that NPA worked in tandem with five industry trade associations, reaching out to “Congressional champions and fellow stakeholders,” as well as its grassroots network, “which responded with a flood of outreach to Capitol Hill,” ultimately resulting in the amendment being defeated.
