DNP International Blog

The industry comes out for Supply Side West Show

Sandra Porter — Fri, 29 Oct 2010 21:33:57 +0000

This years Supply Side West Show record attendance of exhibitors and visitors proved to be a positive indication that the dietary supplement industry remains driven to provide products to consumers and businesses. DNP representatives met with many of their existing customers and connected with hundreds of industry professionals looking for raw ingredient suppliers.

Industry Competitors Hit the Blogosphere

Sandra Porter — Mon, 04 Oct 2010 23:33:48 +0000

The recent ruling by the U.S. District Court in Wilmington, Del of the Home Shopping Network’s (HSN) vitamin marketer Andrew Lessman has provided another lesson in how far marketers and bloggers can go with advertisements and blogging for their audiences. Lessman criticism of his competitor QVC seems to enforce the idea that if you can provide solid and truthful information to your audience, you can be protected under the governing laws. When it comes to professional criticism or journalistic integrity, if you will, too many grey areas are prevalent therefore making it difficult for both sides to get the word out to their consumers about the functionalism and effectiveness of their products.

Gaining Consumer’s Confidence

Sandra Porter — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 19:00:30 +0000

Consumers want to believe the claims made by various manufacturers of both drugs and dietary supplements. It may be safe to say that dietary supplement manufacturers want to provide safe and effective products to their consumers. The FDA’s recent crack down on product marketing, specifically the claims being made by some companies could send a signal to the dietary supplement industry much needed to stay in line with competing for customer confidence, however the question remains as to why one, two or maybe even three negative news reports of products removed from the market can effect an entire industry.

Disregarding the Rules

Sandra Porter — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:11:45 +0000

Browsing through the blogosphere I came across a blog written by Dr. Steven Salzberg, Director of the Center for Bioinformatics and Computational Biology and the Horvitz Professor of Computer Science at the University of Maryland, College Park. Titled Another Hero of the Anti-Vaccine Movement Bites the Dust, written for Forbes.com, Salzberg goes in directly on Boyd Haley, a retired professor of chemistry from the University of Kentucky and creator of OSR#1. Haley and his company market OSR#1 as a dietary supplement treatment for autism.

Dr. Salzberg’s major point in the article was that Boyd’s claims were not backed by research and evidence, not to mention that he’s received a formal warning letter from the FDA requesting him to not market his product as a dietary supplement because it was a drug. The debate over whether dietary supplements can treat an illness and/or cure a disease will always be on the surface of controversy as long as the rules set forth are not being practiced. Why such disregard for providing the evidence?

Getting the Good Word Out

Sandra Porter — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:25:46 +0000

An interesting article titled “Health food stores offer healthy choices but bad information,” written by Monica Reinagel, M.S., LD/N for Nutrition Data sparked an idea of how consumers are receiving important information about the dietary supplement they purchase. In addition to that idea, how the industry is delivering this information within the laws and regulations set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is just as important as what is coming out on the receiving end.

What or who can be the mainstream voice of the dietary supplement industry. Imagine, a major figure supporting an industry of standard and alternative ways to live a healthy life. Celebrities and other public figures promote tons of goods and services everyday, including supplements often used for weight loss. The information delivery through creative marketing may be just the element to do the job.

The Benefit of the Advantage

Sandra Porter — Tue, 04 May 2010 23:57:08 +0000

What an advantage the dietary supplement industry could have if it were able to market the information available directly to its consumer. What a benefit to more consumers if real and documented information about vitamins, minerals, amino acids and antioxidants were at their fingertips. Instead of fearful articles published by the mainstream media, and most likely by individuals who are untrained and essentially not familiar with dietary supplements. The benefit of the advantage – a benefit within itself.

McCain and supporters set to revise their plan

Sandra Porter — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 20:00:43 +0000

Weeks later from the newly proposed dietary supplement act, McCain and other supporters backed down to make changes to a bill as what most industry insiders considered to place unnecessary restraints on the dietary supplement manufacturers.

Reasons for the originally proposed legislation were not solid enough to place such restrictions on an industry who in comparison to its counterpart – Big Pharma, strive to provide ingredients with less harsh side-effects in their products. Duplicating what the FDA has already in place is not necessarily the answer to regulating the industry rather than making sure the agency does its job effectively and by the rules already in place.

Newly proposed bill awakens the industry

Sandra Porter — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:48:30 +0000

The industry is buzzing about the newly proposed dietary supplement act that may impose stricter regulations on supplements causing a plethora of issues for manufacturers and ultimately, the consumers. The bill is backed by Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) who stated he was prompted by recent headlines of sports nutrition products containing illegal substances.

Stricter laws don’t necessarily prevent companies or individuals from engaging in illegal activity. The majority of supplements sold to consumers are safe and the FDA has an existing regulatory process that may need to be enforced versus slapping on more regulations. The question is: What will this bill ultimately do for the consumer? The bill gives the FDA the power to restrict certain supplements they feel are unsafe to be sold or for OTC use. By doing so, this could limit consumers to various supplements and cause the prices to increase due to a prescription-only labeling, therefore giving BIG PHARMA another opportunity to profit. Is this truly — the people, for the consumers?

Gaining Momentum with Sports Nutrition

Sandra Porter — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 00:46:20 +0000

A recent article published by The New York Times entitled “When the Gym Isn’t Enough” discussed the increase of dietary supplements being used by consumers for performance enhancement and building muscles. Citing specialty water and energy bars infused with what the sports nutrition industry recognizes as effective ingredients, not to mention the $25 billion market to go with it – this market seems to be growing every year.

Consumers are looking towards products to not only enhance workouts and build lean bodies, but they are looking towards these very products for maintaining healthy life styles. It may seem that simply using what the local gym supplies and eating healthy may not do the trick nowadays – consumers are on the hunt for products to deliver what they want from this multi-level market known as sports nutrition.

Restrictions and Motives of the Dietary Supplement Industry

Sandra Porter — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 00:06:33 +0000

Late last month, the FTC upheld its decision prohibiting Daniel Chapter One and James Fejio from advertising several of their dietary supplements as anti-cancer products to consumers. Everyday, television commercials flash across the screen telling of class-action lawsuits against pharmaceutical companies who’ve promoted products like birth control, heart and asthma medications contraceptives.

After a schpeel of information along with harmful side-effects and the possibility that the drugs may even cause death, the viewer is left with the idea maintaining their faith that – BIG PHARMA is here to provide the consumer with “safe and effective” drugs.

Imagine a dietary supplement treating or even curing a disease. What would the pharmaceutical companies do with themselves? What new law, restriction or tax would the FTC and FDA place on the dietary supplement industry?

This idea flows deeply in the case mentioned above. Not for the issue that the products marketed may or may not be anti-cancer, but simply for the fact that there is much more to gain in the pharmaceutical arena than there is currently in the dietary supplement industry.