Managing Natural Products

Over the past ten years, natural products have become quite popular in the United States; about 60% of Americans use natural products daily. Herbs and other botanicals, vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and other natural products are sold as dietary supplements in the United States rather than as over-the-counter (OTC) or prescription products. Because they are sold and marketed as dietary supplements, they are not held to the same level of rigorous preapproval testing for safety and efficacy as pharmaceutical products. Although many of these products can be beneficial and there are few reported problems, the potential for serious health problems does exist. These potential problems can be due to allergic reactions, interactions between natural products, interactions between natural products and OTC or prescription medications, interactions between natural products and disease states, or even poor quality or contamination of the product. Because the potential for serious problems is real, as recently addressed by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General, issues and information on managing natural products in a managed care environment are presented here. The goal of this continuing education program is to present information, options, and resources to help pharmacists in managed care settings manage the use of natural products in their patient populations.