§ 101.93 - Certain types of statements for dietary supplements.

§ 101.93 Certain types of statements for dietary supplements.

(a)

(1) No later than 30 days after the first marketing of a dietary supplement that bears one of the statements listed in section 403(r)(6) or the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act, the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of the dietary supplement shall notify the Office of Nutritional Products, Labeling and Dietary Supplements (HFS-810Dietary Supplement Programs (HFS–810), Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Food and Drug Administration, 5001 Campus Dr., College Park, MD 20740, that it has included such a statement on the label or in the labeling of its product. An original and two copies of this notification shall be submitted.

(2) The notification shall include the following:

(i) The name and address of the manufacturer, packer, or distributor of the dietary supplement that bears the statement;

(ii) The text of the statement that is being made;

(iii) The name of the dietary ingredient or supplement that is the subject of the statement, if not provided in the text of the statement; and

(iv) The name of the dietary supplement (including brand name), if not provided in response to paragraph (a)(2)(iii) on whose label, or in whose labeling, the statement appears.

(3) The notice shall be signed by a responsible individual or the person who can certify the accuracy of the information presented and contained in the notice. The individual shall certify that the information contained in the notice is complete and accurate, and that the notifying firm has substantiation that the statement is truthful and not misleading.

(b) Disclaimer. The requirements in this section apply to the label or labeling of dietary supplements where the dietary supplement bears a statement that is provided for by section 403(r)(6) of the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (the act), and the manufacturer, packer, or distributor wishes to take advantage of the exemption to section 201(g)(1)(C) of the act that is provided by compliance with section 403(r)(6) of the act.

(c) Text for disclaimer.

(1) Where there is one statement, the disclaimer shall be placed in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section and shall state:

This statement has not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

(2) Where there is more than one such statement on the label or in the labeling, each statement shall bear the disclaimer in accordance with paragraph (c)(1) of this section, or a plural disclaimer may be placed in accordance with paragraph (d) of this section and shall state:

These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

(d) Placement. The disclaimer shall be placed adjacent to the statement with no intervening material or linked to the statement with a symbol (e.g., an asterisk) at the end of each such statement that refers to the same symbol placed adjacent to the disclaimer specified in paragraphs (c)(1) or (c)(2) of this section. On product labels and in labeling (e.g., pamphlets, catalogs), the disclaimer shall appear on each panel or page where there such is a statement. The disclaimer shall be set off in a box where it is not adjacent to the statement in question.

(e) Typesize. The disclaimer in paragraph (c) of this section shall appear in boldface type in letters of a typesize no smaller than one-sixteenth inch.

(f) Permitted structure/function statements. Dietary supplement labels or labeling may, subject to the requirements in paragraphs (a) through (e) of this section, bear statements that describe the role of a nutrient or dietary ingredient intended to affect the structure or function in humans or that characterize the documented mechanism by which a nutrient or dietary ingredient acts to maintain such structure or function, provided that such statements are not disease claims under paragraph (g) of this section. If the label or labeling of a product marketed as a dietary supplement bears a disease claim as defined in paragraph (g) of this section, the product will be subject to regulation as a drug unless the claim is an authorized health claim for which the product qualifies.

(g) Disease claims.

(1) For purposes of 21 U.S.C. 343(r)(6), a “disease” is damage to an organ, part, structure, or system of the body such that it does not function properly (e.g., cardiovascular disease), or a state of health leading to such dysfunctioning (e.g., hypertension); except that diseases resulting from essential nutrient deficiencies (e.g., scurvy, pellagra) are not included in this definition.

(2) FDA will find that a statement about a product claims to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure, or prevent disease (other than a classical nutrient deficiency disease) under 21 U.S.C. 343(r)(6) if it meets one or more of the criteria listed below. These criteria are not intended to classify as disease claims statements that refer to the ability of a product to maintain healthy structure or function, unless the statement implies disease prevention or treatment. In determining whether a statement is a disease claim under these criteria, FDA will consider the context in which the claim is presented. A statement claims to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure, or prevent disease if it claims, explicitly or implicitly, that the product:

(i) Has an effect on a specific disease or class of diseases;

(ii) Has an effect on the characteristic signs or symptoms of a specific disease or class of diseases, using scientific or lay terminology;

(iii) Has an effect on an abnormal condition associated with a natural state or process, if the abnormal condition is uncommon or can cause significant or permanent harm;

(iv) Has an effect on a disease or diseases through one or more of the following factors:

(A) The name of the product;

(B) A statement about the formulation of the product, including a claim that the product contains an ingredient (other than an ingredient that is an article included in the definition of “dietary supplement” under 21 U.S.C. 321(ff)(3)) that has been regulated by FDA as a drug and is well known to consumers for its use or claimed use in preventing or treating a disease;

(C) Citation of a publication or reference, if the citation refers to a disease use, and if, in the context of the labeling as a whole, the citation implies treatment or prevention of a disease, e.g., through placement on the immediate product label or packaging, inappropriate prominence, or lack of relationship to the product's express claims;

(D) Use of the term “disease” or “diseased,” except in general statements about disease prevention that do not refer explicitly or implicitly to a specific disease or class of diseases or to a specific product or ingredient; or

(E) Use of pictures, vignettes, symbols, or other means;

(v) Belongs to a class of products that is intended to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure, or prevent a disease;

(vi) Is a substitute for a product that is a therapy for a disease;

(vii) Augments a particular therapy or drug action that is intended to diagnose, mitigate, treat, cure, or prevent a disease or class of diseases;

(viii) Has a role in the body's response to a disease or to a vector of disease;

(ix) Treats, prevents, or mitigates adverse events associated with a therapy for a disease, if the adverse events constitute diseases; or

(x) Otherwise suggests an effect on a disease or diseases.

[62 FR 49886, Sept. 23, 1997, as amended at 62 FR 49867, Sept. 23, 1997; 65 FR 1050, Jan. 6, 2000; 66 FR 17358, Mar. 30, 2001; 66 FR 56035, Nov. 6, 2001; 88 FR 17718, Mar. 24, 2023]