SAN DIEGO (June 22, 2004) Late yesterday, U.S. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) invited Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) to work together, along with Sen. Tom Harkin (D-IA), the Food and Drug Administration and industry stakeholders to develop legislation that addresses serious adverse event reports (AERs) for dietary supplements.

Pharmavite, makers of Nature Made vitamins and supplements and Nature’s Resource herbal supplements announced today its support for the AER initiative. Pharmavite made the announcement at the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) Marketplace Conference here.

“Pharmavite manufactures safe, science-based supplements that work,” said Brent Bailey, Pharmavite president and COO. “We are eager to work with government and industry to help the Food and Drug Administration gather the information it needs to help safeguard consumers. Collaborative initiatives like this will help strengthen consumer confidence in our industry.”

The Northridge, Calif.-based manufacturer is the first company to announce its support. Other advocates include the Council for Responsible Nutrition and the American Herbal Products Association.

Hatch and Harkin were principal authors of the 1994 Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), which governs the dietary supplement industry.