On Tuesday, professional basketball player Lamar Odom was found unconscious at a Nevada’s brothel. After investigation, it was found that the 35-year-old former Los Angeles Laker had taken about 10 pills of ‘herbal Viagra’ and abused cocaine. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had asked public not to use the tablets. But the government does not regulate drugs and herbal supplements in the same way.

When Dr. Rick Kingston, President of Regulatory and Scientific Affairs for SafetyCall, was asked why federal government do that, Kingston said people should understand one thing very clearly that herbal Viagra are regulated by the government, but differently than drugs.

It becomes responsibility of FDA decide whether or not to approve the product before it starts selling in the market. The federal agency of the US Department of Health and Human Services said that its duty is to make sure that products made by dietary supplement manufacturers are safe and not misleading.

Dr. Kingston said, “They’re more like food than a drug. You can’t make claims the dietary supplements will treat, prevent, cure, and mitigate any diseases, so the health claims are different”.

About two decades ago, the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA) was approved into law by President Bill Clinton. After the law was implanted, FDA was given authority and oversight regarding dietary supplements.

Now, the agency has the authority to test dietary supplements once they hit the market. If the product is found unsafe, FDA can take actions against the manufacturer.