FDA to review food supplement ads

MANILA, PHilippines – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will revive a technical working group (TWG) to review and regulate the advertisements of food supplements now flooding the Philippine market.

FDA director Nazarita Tacandong said the agency would reactivate the TWG with the Advertisement Board to go after food supplements that make false claims.

Tacandong noted there are many advertisements and promotional materials that carry the message “no therapeutic claim” but they still mislead the public into thinking that the products could cure them of their illnesses or improve their health.

“We acknowledge that this is really a problem. That’s why I asked the permission of (Health) Secretary (Francisco) Duque (III) to revive the TWG and he agreed. We’ll soon be meeting with the AdBoard to discuss this,” she said in a health forum organized by the Philippine College of Physicians.

The revival will come on the heels of the passage of a law that strengthened the FDA, formerly the Bureau of Food and Drugs. The agency is tasked to ensure the safety and quality of drugs, food, devices and cosmetics being sold in the market. – Sheila Crisostomo, Philippine Star