US docs’ group wants package fixes for herbal meds

The American Medical Association says packaging of some herbal remedies is confusing and gives the impression that the supplements are pharmaceutical products. The group wants it stopped.

On Tuesday the AMA approved a resolution urging that supplement manufacturers be required to clearly name and label products in a way that would clearly differentiate the products from pharmaceuticals. For example, the AMA is suggesting that the word “herbal” be included in product names.

“This resolution addresses the potential for consumers to confuse dietary supplements that are marketed as herbal remedies with over-the-counter drugs,” said Dr. Daniel van Heeckeren, a thoracic surgeon with University Hospitals, Cleveland, Ohio, and chair of an AMA reference committee that heard testimony on herbal packaging.

The herbal packaging policy, approved Tuesday by the AMA House of Delegates, directs AMA leadership to urge Congress to modify the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act to require those promoting herbal remedies to prove their efficacy and safety and to force the herbal remedies to list product ingredients on packages.

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