Nutraceuticals Conference: Profits Or Research First?

There is indeed "a drug lag" in the USA, according to Stephen DeFelice, chairman of the Foundation for Innovation in Medicines, but this lag is in development rather than in the availability of products in the USA that are sold abroad. The rise in generics is predicated on this lag, he told those attending a Foundation-organized conference in New York this month on how to develop, make claims on and market the products, that nutraceuticals will take the place of current brand-name prescription products.

The fact that clinical data is now showing the positive benefits of nutraceuticals is one of the main reasons that this emerging industry is poised to take off, Dr DeFelice noted, adding that the rise of consumerism and the current emphasis on food has also fuelled the boom.

The new Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act, with its allowance of health claims for food products, will drive money into research, while the earlier Nutrition Labeling Education Act pushed money into marketing, he explained.