Webinar to Tackle Comparative Claims—Learn About the Scientific, Regulatory and Legal Aspects of Bioavailability Claims

Washington, D.C., September 15, 2014—The Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), the dietary supplement and functional food industry’s leading trade association, today announced a new industry-wide webinar to be held jointly with Informa Exhibitions (formerly VIRGO): “Comparative Claims for Competitive Edge: Need-to-know Scientific, Regulatory and Legal Considerations,” taking place Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2–4 p.m.

“Dietary supplement and ingredient marketers are using claims of ‘enhanced bioavailability’ or ‘superior molecular form’ to gain a competitive edge, especially with ingredients for which efficacy and safety have already been well established,” said Andrea Wong, Ph.D., vice president, scientific and regulatory affairs, CRN, who will moderate the webinar. “But with these claims come substantiation responsibilities that have regulatory and legal implications. Companies must understand the scientific basis for absorption/bioavailability before making such claims, and ingredient buyers need to be knowledgeable about what they’re getting, too.” 

This webinar will answer key questions about the science behind bioavailability, including how it’s measured, as well as how to best design clinical trials to support comparative bioavailability and improved efficacy claims. In addition, the legal and regulatory risks of making unsubstantiated comparative claims will be discussed. 

Webinar presenters include: Russell M. Jaffe, M.D., Ph.D., CCN, CEO and chairman, PERQUE Integrative Health, LLC; Hitesh Patel, scientist, R&D Supplements, Herbalife International; Mal Evans, D.V.M., MSc., Ph.D., scientific director, Contract Research Services Division, KGK Synergize Inc.; and Marc Ullman, partner, Ullman, Shapiro & Ullman LLP. 

The registration fee—$149 for CRN members and $199 for non-members—is a per registration site fee, so multiple people may participate in the webinar from a single site, such as a company’s conference room. This fee also includes unlimited access to the on-demand recording of the webinar for 90 days. Additional details and registration information are available at: www.crnusa.org/bioavailability.


Note to EditorThe Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN), founded in 1973, is a Washington, D.C.-based trade association representing 100+ dietary supplement manufacturers, ingredient suppliers, and companies providing services to those manufacturers and suppliers.  In addition to complying with a host of federal and state regulations governing dietary supplements in the areas of manufacturing, marketing, quality control and safety, our manufacturer and supplier members also agree to adhere to additional voluntary guidelines as well as to CRN’s Code of Ethics. Visit www.crnusa.org. Follow us on Twitter@crn_supplements and @wannabewell and on Facebook.