Vinpocetine has a number of established benefits. So why is Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-MO) trying to eliminate it?
Last October, we told you that Sen. McCaskill, ranking member of the Senate’s Special Committee on Aging, asked FDA to pull vinpocetine from store shelves pending an investigation into whether it should be sold as a prescription drug rather than a supplement.
The rationale for this action was the same used to attack picamilon: because vinpocetine is composed of what the senator considers to be “synthesized ingredients,” it should not be sold as a dietary supplement.
As we noted with picamilon, this is very curious reasoning. Vinpocetine is a derivative of the lesser periwinkle plant, Vinca minor, making it akin to a botanical extract. It has a number of uses, including neuroprotective effects as well as improving brain health and cognitive function, and has virtually no side effects. Dr. Russell Blaylock, in the February Blaylock Wellness Report, notes other positive effects of vinpocetine including reducing cellular calcium (too much calcium in cells is very toxic), improving blood flow, reducing excitotoxicity, protecting mitochondria, reducing inflammation, reducing fat peroxidation, and exhibiting anti-cancer potential.
Further, vinpocetine is considered a new dietary ingredient (NDI) by the FDA after a number of companies filed the NDI paperwork in the late 1990s—meaning that vinpocetine is legally marketed as a dietary supplement. An NDI is defined by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) as any dietary ingredient introduced to the market after 1994, and any company wishing to market an NDI must submit notice and safety information to the FDA. As we’ve noted previously, however, industry is still waiting on guidance from the FDA explaining how, exactly, to comply with this part of the law, so companies that submitted an NDI for vinpocetine have gone above and beyond to comply with what they think the government wants. What message does this send to companies that are trying to comply with the law?
If vinpocetine is under scrutiny for being “synthesized,” then dozens of other plant extracts could be next, which would play right into Big Pharma’s hand and eliminate an important source of competition for their drugs.
Other articles in this week’s Pulse of Natural Health:
FDA Attacks Brain Health Supplements
FDA, Allied Monopolists, and Allied Media Continue War on Medical Testing Innovation
New Study: GMO Crop Contamination Spreading
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