The Nutraceutical industry has found it self under serious scrutiny within the last few years. There is a new story almost every other week, shining the spotlight on a once trusted supplement brand. A brand that has been featuring products that have failed to meet manufacturing standards and best practices. What does Pharmaceutical Grade mean? The term refers to the manufacturing processes used by pharmaceutical companies that produce drugs and other medications.
As a result of these recent turn of events, many dietary and nutraceutical brand owners are looking to manufacture “pharmaceutical grade” supplements. Now what is a “pharmaceutical grade” supplement? This phrase has served as fuel for a great amount of industry talk. Pharmaceutical Grade follows the notion that there are standards for manufacturing supplements that are comparable to pharmaceutical standards.
There are different grades of raw materials used in products:
- Pharmaceutical Grade – These are raw materials that meet the pharmaceutical standards for manufacturing. They are highly pure and contain no binders, fillers, or other unknown subtances.
- Food grade – These materials meet the standards for safe human ingestion and can safely come into direct contact with food products.
- Feel grade – These materials meet the standards for animal ingestion.
Within the pharmaceutical industry all drugs, even those that don’t require a prescription, must undergo a rigorous approval process that’s unique to the pharmaceutical industry. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) puts every new drug through a series of controlled clinical trials in order to demonstrate both safety and efficacy for its intended use.
In the last couple decades dietary supplement sales have more than quadrupled. Today, there is more than an estimated 85,000 products available to consumers. If you are a seller you should be asking how does one stay compliant with regulations and within FDA guidelines? HawkScanner is the best tool to keep your inventory compliant and get rid of the bad apples. Sign up here for a free account, stay informed and keep your products compliant.