Regulatory norms soon for multi-vitamins, health supplements

NEW DELHI: Multi-vitamins and health supplements may soon come under regulatory scanner. The Central drug regulator – Drugs Controller General of India – has set up an expert committee to validate information provided by companies on labels of such products. As of now, a list of 10 popular products, which includes Revital, Ferradol and A to Z, have been drawn for testing, sources said.

“The current list has been drawn based on the popularity of products in the market or their sales,” an official said. The committee has started sampling, after which tests and audit will be conducted.

The move comes in the wake of increasing consumption of these products as well as more number of multi-vitamins and supplements entering the market. “Some of these products are very popular and expensive. It is, therefore, important to ensure that they deliver what they promise,” the official said.

The mandate of the eight-member committee includes evaluating claims made on the packaging of these products and checking ingredients and their strengths as per the declarations made on the label. The committee will also define specific norms based on which a product would be differentiated as a drug or a food product.

Sources said the move is also expected to help government tap those products which contain medicine formulation with a tweaked combination to circumvent price control and other stringent regulatory norms that are applicable on pharmaceuticals.

The government has tried to plug this loophole in the past also. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority, which regulates prices of medicines, has also written to DCGI and the health ministry several times to address this gap.

Officials say the latest move to validate labeling through sample testing would provide scientific evidence enabling better regulation.

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Source:Timesofindia

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