Pew Launches Health Care Products Project

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Most Americans rely on cold medicine, vitamins and other dietary supplements, and myriad other health products sold at their local convenience store. But inadequate oversight of the companies that manufacture these products can put consumers in harm’s way. The Pew Charitable Trusts is leveraging its deep expertise in public health and medical product regulation to launch an initiative that will improve the regulation of health care products.

Pew has succeeded in advancing policies that have improved the oversight and safety of food, drug compounding, the drug supply chain, and medical devices as well as fostering the innovation of new technologies. This initiative will take those efforts further, focusing on the products that many Americans take without their doctor’s supervision: over-the-counter drugs and dietary supplements.

We will work to ensure that the Food and Drug Administration can approve changes to over-the-counter drug labels and ingredients quickly and efficiently when it has concerns about their safety or effectiveness. Pew will also work to advance policies to improve the safety of dietary supplements. And it will address challenges associated with other FDA-regulated products, from approval standards for emerging technologies to the appropriate rules for drug promotion.

Pew also looks forward to working with consumers, supplement and over-the-counter drug manufacturers, providers, and government officials to advance the policy changes needed to ensure that safe, high-quality health care products are available to consumers. 

Elizabeth Jungman directs The Pew Charitable Trusts’ public health program.