The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) and Supplement Safety Now (SSN) are pleased to support the agreement reached today by Senators McCain, Dorgan, Harkin, Enzi and Hatch which allows for a quick solution to several of the concerns raised in an effort to better protect consumers from dangerous dietary supplements sold in retail stores and online.
Included in the agreement, which attaches legislative changes to an existing bill already in process, are a number of solutions to issues raised by SSN, including registration of all dietary supplement companies, mandatory recall for unsafe dietary supplements, and requirements that the FDA finally identify new versus old dietary supplement ingredients.
“These are needed improvements. The agreement provides much-needed additional consumer protections, without risking access to legal supplements,” said USADA CEO, Travis T. Tygart. “This is a battle that has been won for the good guys, and we will continue to monitor the impact of these changes while maintaining efforts to hold the supplement industry accountable for ensuring all of their products are healthy and safe for consumers.”
The SSN partners are pleased that in only three months since the coalition’s launch, and just over a month since Senators McCain and Dorgan announced efforts to introduce legislation, an agreement has been reached with bi-partisan support.
USADA will continue to work with its SSN partners to ensure that athletes, and consumers in general, are made aware of and kept apprised of news and advancements in the critical issue of supplement safety. This includes the on-going development and launch of a robust online portal for consumers, and in particular athletes, to be informed in advance of purchasing and/or taking supplement products. The group will also continue to work toward enhancements to the Controlled Substances Act and the efforts and amendments to which the industry has agreed.
About Supplement Safety Now (SSN)
USADA launched Supplement Safety Now (www.SupplementSafetyNow.com) in partnership with the National Football League, Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, the National Hockey League, the U.S. Olympic Committee and other national sports and health organizations, urging Congress to refine the regulatory framework to ensure that all supplements sold over the counter, in retail stores and online, are safe and free of dangerous steroids and other drugs.
To date, joining the MLB, NFL, the USOC, NBA and NHL in their support of Supplement Safety Now are: USA Swimming, USA Triathlon, USA Gymnastics, USA Track and Field, USA Cycling, U.S. Lacrosse, U.S. Tennis Association, the PGA Tour, the NCAA, The Center for Drug Free Sport, the American College of Sports Medicine and the American Swimming Coaches Association.
About USADA
USADA is the non-profit, independent and non-governmental entity responsible for the testing and results management process in the U.S. for athletes in the Olympic and Paralympic Movement, upholding the Olympic ideal of fair play, and representing the interests of athletes. USADA is dedicated to preserving the integrity of sport through research initiatives and educational programs. The agency manages a drug reference phone hotline and Global Drug Reference Online, conducts educational sessions with National Governing Bodies and their athletes, and proactively distributes a multitude of educational materials, such as curriculums, themed brochures and nutrition and dietary guides, easy- reference wallet cards for the prohibited substance list, periodic newsletters, and protocol and policy reference publications, all of which can be found at www.USADA.org.