The FDA vowed to update its policies on dietary supplements, promising "one of the most significant modernizations of dietary supplement regulation and oversight in more than 25 years," according to a statement by FDA commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb. The FDA does not review dietary supplements before they hit the market, but it can intervene when products are deemed unsafe or carry false, misleading or unproven claims about their health benefits. Roughly three-quarters of American consumers regularly take dietary supplements -- including four out of five older adults, Gottlieb said. On Monday, the FDA sent 12 warning letters and five online advisory letters to companies marketing their products illegally as Alzheimer's treatments. study published in October found that nearly 800 dietary supplements sold over the counter from 2007 through 2016 contained unapproved drug ingredients, based on an analysis of FDA data.

Source: CNN February 11, 2019 14:48 UTC