The FDA announced that U.S. Marshals seized more than $1,301,712 of dietary supplements from LG Sciences, LLC, of Brighton, Mich., because the products contain unapproved food additives and/or new dietary ingredients that violate the Food, Drug and Cosmetics Act.

Former San Diego State and NFL running back Obafemi "Femi" Ayanbadejo has filed suit against Nevada sports supplement company ALR Industries claiming he tested positive for steroids last year because he took a supplement made by ALR.

According to this report from the Carlisle, Pennsylvania newspaper The Sentinel, Boiling Springs High School Student Andrew Figueiredo was suspended from school for taking 3 dietary supplement pills at lunch in the cafeteria.

The FDA has released new guidance for dietary supplement labeling pursuant to the Dietary Supplement and Nonprescription Drug Consumer Protection Act passed at the end of 2006.

Excellent article in Today's New York Times entitled On a Remote Path to Cures about the Peruvian herbal remedy maca, its cultivation, and the marketing of maca as a natural herbal supplement.

The Nutritional and Dietary Supplement Law Blog resource page on State Food and Drug Laws has been updated!  This resource contains links to pages on the internet where the state food and drug laws for 47 states can be found.

FDA held a 3 hour webcast last week detailing its industry guidance on the new CGMP regulations. The webcast has been archived. To view the webcast at your leisure click here.

Best-selling author Kevin Trudeau has come under fire again for violating an injunction banning him from making infomercials that misrepresent the contents of his latest book entitled "The Weight Loss Cure ‘They’ Don’t Want You to Know About."

Harlem resident Christopher Woods (no relation to Smiling Bob, pictured at left), has filed a lawsuit against pharmaceutical manufacturer Novartis AG, claiming that its popular Boost Plus Nutritional Energy Drink caused him to have an erection that lasted several days and required corrective surgery, according to press reports.

Peter Quinter, Partner and Chair of the International Law Practice at Becker Poliakoff will moderate "FDA and You: Creating Best Practices for Importing Food and Medical Devices" on June 13th at the Miami Free Zone in Miami, Florida.

Elizabeth D. Gobeil, Partner at Thompson Hine LLP, of Atlanta, Georgia is our featured expert and provides this guest blog entry on the new FDA FAQ on Medical Foods.

Last fall, supplement industry trade group The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), announced a new initiative, in partnership with the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus (CBBB), to increase monitoring of advertising for dietary supplements.

Mark A. LeDoux, Chairman and CEO of Natural Alternatives International, Inc. and Chair of The Council for Responsible Nutrition spoke next at the American Conference Institute conference on dietary supplements, nutraceuticals and functional foods on the issue of new GMP rules for dietary supplements.

Discussion at the American Conference Institute conference on dietary supplements, nutraceuticals and functional foods turned to the problem the FDA faces trying to inspect the increasing volume of imported supplement and food ingredients coming into the USA from countries like China (which is the subject of an import alert allowing FDA to detain protein products from China without physical inspection as a result of the melamine scare).

Your blogger is attending (and speaking) at the conference sponsored by American Conference Institute this week on the topic of regulation and other legal issues concerning dietary supplements, nutraceuticals and functional foods.

In an unusual marketing campaign, Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, the creators of "Smiling Bob" (pictured) whose erections are so satisfying he can't wipe that smile off his face, are now claiming that the source of Bob's smile, Berkeley product Enzyte, is the most stolen brand in its category.

The latest issue of the Experts Edition of Vianello Consulting's excellent newsletter series cites the decision of the federal district court for Alabama's northern district in a products liability case involving Zicam No-Drip Liquid Nasal Gel, a homeopathic cold remedy.

Make plans today to attend the In-House Counsel Forum on Manufacturing, Marketing and Distributing Dietary Supplements, Nutraceuticals & Functional Foods to be held on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 to Wednesday, May 16, 2007 in San Francisco at the San Francisco Hilton.

The President recently signed the Undertaking Spam, Spyware, And Fraud Enforcement With Enforcers beyond Borders Act of 2006. The USA SAFE WEB Act gives the Federal Trade Commission expanded authority to cooperate with foreign law enforcement officials in their investigations into wrong doing in the U.S.

In its 2007 Budget Justification Summary, the Federal Trade Commission warned that in the coming year it will continue to scrutinize dietary supplement marketing practices. The FTC highlighted health products, including dietary supplements, as a key area on which it will be keeping an eye.