On July 14, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), the ranking member of the Senate HELP Committee and a central negotiator in the conference proceedings, introduced a clean reauthorization of FDA User Fee Programs (U.S. Food and Drug Administration), which does not include controversial dietary supplement provisions. Senator Burr cited concerns over the Senate’s ability to pass the Food and Drug Administration Safety and Landmark Advancements (FDASLA) Act on time after certain provisions were attached to the bill in Committee.

“Senator Burr is absolutely right that extraneous, unnecessary and costly dietary supplement provisions have no place in this legislation, and should be applauded for this principled stance. The dietary supplement provisions in the FDASLA would drive up the cost for consumers while preventing them from accessing certain products. As the nation faces record double-digit inflation Congress should not be making it more expensive for Americans to stay healthy. Additionally, Congress has never required the nutritional supplement industry to pay user fees, and supplements are not prescription drugs, generic drugs, medical devices, or biosimilars, so including dietary supplement provisions was not only controversial but unprecedented,” said Daniel Fabricant, PhD, president and CEO of the Natural Products Association (NPA).

“The legislation introduced today by Senator Burr represents an opportunity for the dietary supplement industry to rally behind Senator Burr and help ensure FDA keeps operations running without layoffs,” Fabricant added. “It’s past time for dietary supplement stakeholders to come to the table and lend our support for Senator Burr’s proposal.”

For more information, visit www.npanational.org.