On December 20, the Federal Trade Commission’s Bureau of Consumer Protection announced the issuance of Health Products Compliance Guidance. The revised Guidance updates the FTC’s 1998 guide, Dietary Supplements: An Advertising Guide For Industry, and is a must read for everyone involved in marketing, labeling, and creating and evaluating substantiation for dietary supplements and other health products.

Since 1998, the FTC has brought more than 200 cases challenging false or misleading advertising claims for dietary supplements, foods, over-the-counter drugs, and other health-related products. A blog post on the FTC’s website summarizes “what’s new – and what isn’t” in the new Guidance.