Washington, D.C.- Late last night, Sens. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., introduced bipartisan legislation that would enable the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) to better enforce selective androgen receptor modulators, otherwise known as SARMs.

TheSARMs Control Act of 2018builds on the success of the Designer Anabolic Steroid Control Act (DASCA) of 2014 by enhancing the DEA’s authority to protect consumers by removing illegal SARMs substances from the market.

SARMs are associated with serious safety concerns, including the potential to increase the risk of heart attack or stroke and life-threatening reactions like liver damage. They are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for human use, are illegally marketed and sold as dietary supplements, and are banned in all professional and college sports.

Members of the dietary supplement (DS) industry are applauding this legislation. TheUnited Natural Products Alliance(UNPA) joined with the other major DS trade associations - American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), Council for Responsible Nutrition (CRN) and Consumer Healthcare Products Association (CHPA) - as well as the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA), in a letter endorsing the bill. It says, “Each of our organizations has consistently supported efforts to enact and enforce laws to protect consumers, eliminate bad actors marketing illegal substances masquerading as legal products, and prosecute criminals who manufacture and sell them. Your bill will help move toward this goal. The SARMs Control Act is a bold step, adding teeth to prevention and enforcement efforts in the battle against illegal substances being marketed as legitimate products. The dietary supplement industry and USADA stand ready to work with you and all of Congress to deliver a strong bill to the President."

CRN released astatementon the legislation as well.  Said Steve Mister, president and CEO, CRN: “We are grateful for the bipartisan support of Senators Hatch and Whitehouse, and we will work diligently with the bill sponsors and other lawmakers to advance and help pass this important legislation.”

CRN is also leading a consumer education initiative to raise awareness among consumers, specifically those in the bodybuilding and fitness communities, about the dangers of SARMs. CRN features on its website a toolkit of downloadable and shareable content on SARMs and provides tips on how athletes can protect themselves from products containing these illicit ingredients. The initiative follows warnings from the FDA about SARMs and supports efforts by the USADA to alert athletes to the dangers of SARMs.

SARMs, which some dub the “new steroid,” can be difficult to identify because they are sold under many different names. Ingredients that contain SARMs include: ACP-105, Ostarine, Andarine (S4), BMS-564929, GLPG0492, GLPG0634, GSK2849466, GSK971086, GSK2881078, GSK2849866, LG-121071, LGD-2226, LGD-3303, LGD-4033 (now VK 5211), LY2452473 (now TT701), MK-3984, ostarine/enobosarm, RAD-140, S-101479, S107, S23, S-40503, S6, S9.

 

For related stories, see:

Industry Rallies Behind FDA's Warning Against SARMs

Industry Applauds FDA Seizure of Products Containing SARMs