Posted on 09/10/2001 12:27:57 PM PDT by PoisedWoman
Anti-Aging Products Face Congressional Scrutiny, By Adam Entous
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The marketing practices and advertising claims of companies that sell anti-aging pills and other dietary supplements to seniors will face congressional scrutiny on Monday at a hearing that could lead to tougher regulation of the $27 billion industry.
An estimated 60 percent of Americans take some form of supplement with no apparent health problems. But experts say some anti-aging products can pose health risks, particularly to the elderly, and unlike new prescription and over-the-counter drugs, U.S. law does not require them to undergo premarket approval for safety and efficacy.
The Senate Special Committee on Aging, chaired by Democrat John Breaux of Louisiana, called Monday's hearing to look at how these pills, creams and tonics -- which promise a wide range of benefits from boosting energy, to preventing memory loss to building muscle -- are marketed by mail-order and over the Internet, and targeted to older Americans unaware of the possible dangers.
Specifically, aides said the Senate committee would focus on companies controlled by Glenn Braswell, who was pardoned by former President Bill Clinton in January for a 1983 mail fraud conviction stemming from his sale of a product that he falsely claimed cured baldness.
Braswell, who allegedly hired Clinton's brother-in-law to press for the pardon, was subpoenaed to testify about the practices of GB Data Systems Inc., the holding company for at least 10 businesses selling a wide range of dietary supplements.
But committee aides said they were informed by Braswell's attorneys that they would counsel their client to invoke his Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination in light of an ongoing investigation by the IRS.
The committee said products sold by Braswell's companies -- which claim to treat everything from constipation to anxiety and are sold in a variety of forms -- are not known to have caused any serious health problems or deaths.
But lawmakers will hear testimony from health experts critical of Braswell's marketing tactics and advertising claims. These experts will also warn of the health risks associated with mixing certain herbal and non-herbal supplements with prescription drugs and other FDA (news - web sites)-approved medications taken by millions of seniors.
St. John's Wort, for example, may reduce the effectiveness of certain antiviral drugs. Chamomile tea can cause a severe reaction in people allergic to ragweed. Other compounds used in supplements can cause vomiting, breathing problems, convulsions, and even coma and death when used in large amounts, the experts will warn.
The Senate panel has also subpoenaed Ron Tepper, editor of the Journal of Longevity. Committee aides allege that the journal is used as a ``marketing and advertising tool'' for many of Braswell's products. Like Braswell, Tepper's attorney counseled him to take the Fifth, committee aides said.
Breaux has yet to decide whether legislation was needed to protect seniors, many of whom used dietary supplements as an alternative to traditional treatments or to save money on expensive prescription drugs, aides said.
As many as 1,800 herbal medications are sold in the United States, and the burden is on the FDA to prove the products are unsafe before they can be removed from the market, contrary to the drug market wherein manufacturers must establish safety and long-term effects to get FDA approval.
While legislative action was possible, the committee's immediate goal was to increase awareness about the potential health risks, aides said. In addition to hearing from health experts, the Government Accounting Office, which conducts investigations for Congress, will release a report on anti-aging products marketed to the elderly. The FDA, the FBI (news - web sites) and the Federal Trade Commission will also testify about their efforts to combat fraud.
I wonder whether she uses Brasswell's products. If so, she's a bad ad for them.
Article 2, Section 2. The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.
The President cannot pardon anyone who has been impeached. Other than that, do you see any restrictions on the President's power to pardon there? You don't, because there aren't any. The President can pardon WHOMEVER he chooses, for ANY reason he wants and nobody (according to the Constitution) is allowed to do squat about it.
That's why Nixon, Ford, Reagan and Bush weren't investigated when they pardoned people MUCH, MUCH, MUCH worse than anyone Clinton pardoned. Dubya's daddy even pardoned people BEFORE they were put on trial, just to keep them from testifying against him about his own crimes.
All this hoohah about probing pardons is just more griping and whining from the "We gotta get Clinton for SOMETHING!!!!" crowd. Apparently, they are now ready to tear up the Constitution in their Ahab-like desire to kill the great white Bubba.
Pitiful.
Somebody stop me before I wast my money again!
And who better than the Democrats in Congress- surely they know better than I do how to spend my money...
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