2009 was an incredible year for the dietary supplement industry.  While the rest of American business floundered amidst the depths of a recession, the dietary supplement business thrived. 

The rules are different here in the United States. Hyde Park Holistic Center in Cincinnati recently received a warning letter from the Food & Drug Administration that read like many others having to do with nutritional supplements and the H1N1 virus.

The Feds are again looking at how companies market foods to kids. Concerned by reports on child obesity, the FTC in 2010 will take a look at what the food companies sell for kids and how those products are marketed.

Although Apple's review process for iPhone apps seems to elude most developers, some help is in sight. In addition to the FCC's ongoing investigations since Google Voice was rejected by Apple, a very useful Web site was recently created to publicize the details of such rejections.

The first paragraph in the New York Times story said it all: "The Drug Enforcement Administration has classified as controlled substances three steroids that are marketed as dietary supplements, but an antidoping official warned that new steroids have taken their place on the shelves of nutrition stores."

A dispute in Canada has brought light to an emerging privacy issue over the use of Facebook photos. Nathalie Blanchard's insurance company cut her disability benefits after their agent found photos of her on vacation through Facebook. 

Section 102(b) of the U.S. Patent Act prevents an inventor from getting a patent for an invention that was “described in a printed publication in this .

David Frum recently laid into the nutritional supplement industry with a guest commentary on CNN.com. The resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and one-time special assistant to President George W.

Several important apps developers are unhappy with Apple and the way the company is still exerting too much control over their App Store. Some developers are so frustrated with Apple and their stringent policies that they are completely halting iPhone development.

The headline in the Wall Street Journal read, "New Study Gives B Vitamin a Boost" and the first sentence in the article was, "Bring out the niacin."

While it may seem like an innocent act, a virtual poke on Facebook could have real-world legal implications.  A Tennessee court has held that a Facebook poke violated a protective order and is considered a communication with an opposing party.

A new app has been developed for the iPhone that connects people's faces to their names by using photos from their LinkedIn accounts.  The app is called Learn That Name.

Two days of hearings before the FDA about search-based advertising for drugs produced one possible solution: fixed warnings for products. Google has proposed that its AdWords could include a hyper-linked line that warns consumers about the potential dangers of a drug.

Google said on Nov. 12 that it had acquired Gizmo5, a young firm that makes software for Internet telephony. According to MediaPost, Google plans to integrate Gizmo5 into Google Voice, a one-number-for-all system for linking cell, home and work phones.

Ever since receiving FDA notices about their advertising generated from Google and similar searches, drugmakers have toned down their language and sought clarity on what is allowed.

Should there be a language standard in Google ads for supplements? Drug marketers may adopt rules given the close scrutiny that the FDA is giving search-generated ads for pharmaceuticals.

As the application industry continues to grow, a company not known for its IT prowess has decided to get into the business while the getting is good.The

The estimated market in the U.S. for virtual goods in 2009 is expected to double from last year, reaching $1 billion this year, according to a recent study (Mediapost, Inside Virtual Goods). 

The FDA has been busy this past month, sending out warning letters left and right on a variety of topics.  Here they are in brief: This warning letter attacks a purportedly novel type of hand sanitizer called SkinWear that claims to work for up to 8 hours without alcohol in order to prevent the transmission of H1N1 Flu Virus.

Ric Hobby spoke at the CRN Conference last week on the state of international supplement regulation with a particular focus on European regulatory efforts.  Ric directed most of his talk on the work of the International Alliance of Dietary/Food Supplement Associations, of which CRN is a member.