ALEXANDRIA, Va. -- The American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists (AAPS) today applauded FDA's announcement to expand tracking of serious reactions to herbs, vitamins and other dietary supplements and to set new manufacturing standards for the $13 billion nutraceutical industry.

"AAPS supports FDA's plans to expand its tracking efforts and calls Congress to provide the FDA with the funding required to carry out these tasks," said AAPS President Richard F. Bergstrom, Ph.D.

On Dec. 16, 1999, the association formed the AAPS Dietary Supplement Advisory Board to foster the interchange of scientific knowledge relevant to the benefits, risks, standardization and quality of nutraceuticals. Chaired by Immediate Past-President Larry L. Augsburger, Ph.D., the board has broad representation with participating groups that include: the American Pharmaceutical Association's Academy of Pharmaceutical Research and Science; the American Nutraceutical Association; the Council for Responsible Nutrition; the Joint Institute of Food Safety and Nutrition; the United States Pharmacopeial Convention, Inc.; FDA's Center for Food Safety & Applied Nutrition; the Consumer & Health Care Products Association; the American Herbal Products Association; and others from industry and academia.

The board's first project is to hold the AAPS Dietary Supplements Forum on June 28-30, 2000, at the Ronald Reagan Building in Washington, DC, to explore the science of nutraceuticals. The forum will bring together nutraceutical companies, government agencies such as the FDA and NIH, scientific associations, experts in the field, and the general public to discuss the safety, efficacy, purity, quality control and standardization of dietary supplements. The public is welcome to attend this forum.

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Contact: Debbie Mierke
mierke@aaps.org
703-518-8442
American Association of Pharmaceutical Scientists
17-Jan-2000