Harkin, Hatch Introduce DSHEA Appropriations Bill

WASHINGTON--Sens. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) and Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) introduced an appropriations bill July 31 that would set aside funds to help carry out the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA). SB 1538, the "DSHEA Full Implementation and Enforcement Act of 2003," would allocate $205 million over a five-year period, beginning in fiscal 2004.

The bill also asks for an annual accountability report completed by the secretary of Health and Human Services that would detail the total funding and number of personnel dedicated to dietary supplement regulation, adverse event reporting (AER) systems, labeling enforcement and good manufacturing practices (GMPs). The report would also detail the number of GMP inspections over a prior fiscal year, the number of new ingredient reviews and the number of claims determined to be false, misleading or unsubstantiated.

"If this bill is passed, FDA will have no more excuses for inaction," said David Seckman, executive director of the National Nutritional Foods Association (NNFA). "It will also put to rest the idea that Congress and the industry don't want to see DSHEA fully implemented." NNFA plans to develop a strategy for how members can respond to SB 1538 once Congress reconvenes in September.

The bill has been read twice and referred to the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (http://labor.senate.gov), of which Harkin is a member.