Concerning Hoodia, FDA, and other Legal Matters
March 2, 2009
It is very tough for a maker or distributor of a hoodia gordonii product to obtain approval by the FDA. As far as selling products, this is one of the strictest set of guidelines there is. Furthermore, other legalities might pertain to marketing these pills, which consumers and sellers need to know.
For instance, a maker, distributor, or buyer of a legitimate hoodia pill needs to be concerned about the following criteria:
- They must be careful about making any claim that a drug is a “cure” if the product is not evaluated and approved by the FDA. Therefore, any company that advertises a product in a way that the supplement appears to be “intended for use in the cure, mitigation, treatment, or prevention of disease” must be careful.
- If a product has not been approved by the FDA as a “drug” intended for a cure of a disease then it can be legally marketed as a dietary supplement. This is where even the most legit companies run into trouble. This does not mean that a product would not be effective for weight loss or for curbing appetite though. It just means that a company needs to find a way to word the information on a website or other promotional material very carefully. (i.e. “may cause weight loss” versus “will cause weight loss”).
- Products that already have passed FDA standards may be continued to be marketed. However, many newer products have not met these standards as of yet. It does not mean that they are not safe but users need to take precaution.
- Any celebrity endorsement concerning a product must be proven. However, this is not an FDA matter, but still is a legal concern that pertains to all parties involved (buyers, manufacturers, and sellers).
Also note that anyone can place an “approved by FDA” notice on a product. It is each consumer’s responsibility to research information that reveals that claims made by companies are true.
With that, shoppers need to beware that very few hoodia products are actually approved today, and very limited information is available. The best hope that people have is to research valid product reviews and reports generated after researching consumer responses.
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