JAMA Internal Medicine published a letter to the editor by AHPA President Michael McGuffin in response to a research letter, "The frequency and characteristics of dietary supplement recalls in the United States." 

In the letter to the editor, McGuffin stresses that contrary to assertions in the research letter, "pharmaceutical ingredients-such as sibutramine or sildenafil-may not be used in supplements, and products that contain these fail to meet the federal definition of dietary supplements." 

The authors of the research letter also suggest that the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) "has permitted the introduction of numerous supplement products, often containing active pharmaceutical ingredient, into the marketplace."  

"This is not true," McGuffin writes. "Rather, these products are marketed by those who ignore the laws of the United States and of every other country in which these dangerous goods are available." 

McGuffin notes that drug spiking of products masqueraded as dietary supplements is a worldwide problem and regulatory agencies around the globe are acting to enforce against these products and inform consumers of the dangers these products pose. In addition, the US supplement industry supports active enforcement by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of current laws and regulations enacted to curtail these products and the industry works with FDA to raise awareness about these illegal products.

The American Herbal Products Association maintains KeepSupplementsClean.org to distribute information about illegal products masquerading as dietary supplements that have been identified by regulatory agencies in the US, Canada, Asia and Europe.