AHPA requests Congress refrain from enacting MPL riders in lame duck

• By: AHPA
• On: 12/01/2022 11:24:24
• In: Regulation / Legislation

December 1, 2022

In a letter to the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives committees with oversight for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has requested that Congress not include mandatory product listing (MPL) language in any must-pass appropriations legislation considered during the last weeks of the current 117th Congress. MPL as presented by its advocates would amend the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&CA) to require dietary supplement firms to list their products with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a proposal that has been the subject of significant controversy during the current Congress.
 
AHPA's letter also cited a long history of regular order amendments to the FD&CA's provisions impacting dietary supplements. In addition, the letter suggested that any discussion of changes to federal laws regulating dietary supplements should occur as part of a transparent and stakeholder-inclusive process in the 118th Congress that will convene in January 2023.
 
“There are areas of the law governing dietary supplements that may benefit from a thoughtful review to ensure that Americans have ready and informed access to a wide range of safe dietary supplements,” said AHPA President Michael McGuffin. “Any statutory changes that are identified as needed to achieve this purpose should then be considered as a package, rather than with a sole focus on MPL, and the resulting legislative process should allow public involvement and discussion.”
 
AHPA will continue to advocate for commonsense reforms to dietary supplement laws, including greater consumer access to truthful information about dietary supplements and a more-equitable and transparent path to market for new dietary ingredients.