New Dietary Supplement Consumer Guideline

(NAPSA)-In recent years, consumer confidence in dietary supplements has been declining. Consumers are confused. They lack clarity and confidence as to which dietary supplement to buy-questioning whether the ingredients stated on the label are in the bottle.

In order to provide some guidance and clarity, the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) created its Dietary Supplement Verification Program (DSVP) to help inform and safeguard the growing number of consumers who use dietary supplements. USP's DSVP aids consumers in making better-informed purchasing decisions.

DSVP responds to the growing need for a recognized national verification program that helps to assure consumers that dietary supplement products contain the ingredients stated on the product label. Under DSVP, USP evaluates and verifies dietary supplements according to stringent standards for purity, accuracy of ingredient labeling, and proper and sanitary manufacturing practices.

The DSVP mark on dietary supplement products helps assure consumers that the product:

• Contains the ingredients stated on the label;
• Has the declared amount of strength of ingredients;
• Will effectively dissolve to release the contents of the dietary supplement for absorption into the body;
• Was tested for harmful contaminants such as heavy metals, E-coli, and pesticides; and
• Has been manufactured using safe, sanitary and well-controlled procedures.

Yet, the DSVP program doesn't stop there. Once a product has been certified USP will periodically conduct random off-the-shelf tests on verified supplements to ensure that the products continue to meet DSVP's strict standards. USP also will continue to conduct audits of manufacturer sites for compliance with DSVP requirements.

USP is uniquely suited to certify dietary supplements since its public health mission is to create standards that help assure the quality of prescription and over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements, and other health- care technologies. In fact, DSVP builds on USP's long history of setting standards.

Dietary supplement products bearing the DSVP mark will begin to appear on retailer and pharmacy shelves in December 2002. For a listing of DSVP certified products or for further information about DSVP, visit www.usp-dsvp.org.

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