Beta sitosterol in Australia

I was unable to find a local source for beta sitosterol so I have
bought some from overseas - Enutrition brand (has anyone tried it?).

I asked the Australian Government agency which checks such things
(TGA) about whether such products could be relied upon to contain what
they claimed in the stated quantity. This was the response, which is
interesting:

Medicines that are sold in Australia are required to be either
"listed" or "registered" onto the Australian Register of Therapeutic
Goods (ARTG), and are required to display an "AUST L" or "AUST R"
number (5 or 6 digits) on the front of the medicine label.
"Registered" medicines are subject to a full evaluation process before
they can be sold in Australia. Medicines that are "listed" can only
include lower-risk ingredients that have been pre-approved by the
TGA.

Medicines that are on the ARTG and carry a AUST L or AUST R number are
regulated by the TGA for quality, safety, and efficacy. They are
required by law to contain the ingredients stated on the ARTG entry
for the medicine and the medicine label, they must also comply with
many other requirements. When you purchase a medicine with an AUST L
or an AUST R you can also check the product against the publicly
available ARTG record, by clicking on the link "Search the product
register (ARTG)" on the top right hand corner of our website www.tga.gov.au

The ingredient name beta sisosterol / beta sitosterol is not currently
recognised by the TGA as an approved ingredient name. The TGA does
recognise "sitosterol" as a name, but only as a component of a parent
ingredient (such as a herbal ingredient). Therefore it is possible
that the product you are referring may not be complying with
Australian requirements.

The TGA conducts investigations in relation to suspected non-compliant
medicines. If you are aware of any of the following problems, please
report to the TGA via our website forms at http://www.tga.gov.au/problem/index.htm

- If you have purchased a medicine in Australia (other than a
homoeopathic medicine) that does not carry an AUST L or AUST R number
- If you check the AUST L or AUST R number against the publicly
available ARTG and notice differences/problems when compared to the
medicine label
- If you are aware of or are concerned about any problems with a
medicine or the information on a medicine label


So that is the situation here - a fair degree of protection. What is
the situation in the US (where I assume the stuff I have ordered is
coming from)?

.

Relevant Pages

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