Crisis & Collective Will

Long-time natural products industry advocate Senator Tom Harkin (D-IA), who co-authored the landmark Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act (DSHEA) of 1994, announced in January that he will not seek re-election in 2014. As chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee (HELP) and chair of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds health related measures, Senator Harkin has been a powerful ally to the supplement industry. The 73-year-old cited his age as a factor in the decision, saying in a statement that it was time to pass the torch. However, he pledged to advance a policy agenda over the next two years that includes ensuring implementation of the Affordable Care Act.

Industry’s search for new allies in government comes at a time when Congress’ approval rating is at an historic low of 14%, according to a January Gallup poll. While the average approval rating for Congress since Gallup began taking this measurement in 1974 is only 33%, last year’s 15% yearly average was the lowest Gallup ever recorded.

The “kick the can down the road” Congressional cycle of crisis management is not only exhausting, it’s unsustainable. Comedian Jon Stewart recently joked that Congress is the most dysfunctional body since the Jackson 5—the family musical group that featured embattled star Michael Jackson. Gallup’s January poll was conducted about a week after Congress and the president agreed on legislation that avoided the end-of-year “fiscal cliff,” in part by pushing the deadline for mandated federal budget sequestrations to March 1st. At press time, experts were still speculating about whether Congress would actually allow sweeping spending cuts to take place, but it seemed a real possibility.

At a time when U.S. citizens are disillusioned by their Congress, many doctors are pessimistic about their craft. In his article on the healthcare practitioner market, Erik Goldman noted that practitioner morale has reached an all-time low, as evidenced by the recent Physicians’ Foundation survey of more than 13,500 U.S. doctors. “More than 80% said they feel medicine is in decline, 77% are pessimistic about the future and more than half are planning major changes in their practices.”

While there’s unprecedented change and uncertainty in healthcare at large, there’s also an obvious opportunity for the nutraceuticals industry. “Best industry estimates indicate practitioner sales of nutraceuticals, botanicals and other natural products total about $3 billion per year,” Mr. Goldman noted. “Growth has been steady at 8-10% over the last decade, slightly outpacing the industry as a whole. Practitioner sales now account for greater than 10% of all supplement sales across all market segments.”

Mr. Goldman’s article offers methods and strategies for engaging physicians, earning their trust and communicating effectively. Keys to success include investments in research and an evidence-based approach to product development.

“Our industry has an unprecedented opportunity to step forward and take a meaningful place in the healthcare landscape, if—and it’s a big if—we have the collective will, intelligence and intention to do so,” Mr. Goldman wrote. I know another group that could benefit from some will, intelligence and intention these days too.