User:MatthewBurton/Sandbox

Pharmavite, LLC is a dietary supplements company based in Northridge, California. The company is the maker of Nature Made, a line of over 150 vitamins and nutritional supplements, and SOYJOY, a snack made from soy and real fruit. As of 1994, Nature Made products were the top-selling brand of vitamins in the United States.

History
Pharmavite was founded in 1971 by Henry Burdick and Barry Pressman. Nature Made’s vitamin brand was launched the following year. The company was purchased in 1989 by Japanese pharmaceutical company Otsuka. As of 2001, Pharmavite’s annual revenue was estimated at $350-$450 million.

Product Quality & Regulation
See also: Dietary_supplements

As a U.S.-based manufacturer of vitamins and dietary supplements, Pharmavite is subject to regulations by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). The FTC pursues deceptive, false and misleading advertising through the FTC Act.

The FDA regulates the industry through the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA), which was further strengthened by the Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act of 1994 (DSHEA). In addition, the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) is part of a quality system covering the manufacturing and testing of active pharmaceutical ingredients, diagnostics, foods, pharmaceutical products, and medical devices. GMP guidelines stipulate that dietary supplement manufacturers be "responsible for ensuring that a dietary supplement is safe before it is marketed" and "that product label information is truthful and not misleading."

Pharmavite’s vitamins and supplements product line participates in the United States Pharmacopeia's (USP) Dietary Supplements Verification Program. USP is a non-profit organization that has set pharmaceutical quality standards since 1820, and is published dually with the National Formulary as the USP-NF. Prescriptions, over-the-counter medicines, food ingredients, and dietary supplements are required to follow the standards in the USP-NF. In regards to dietary supplements, USP verifies the "quality, purity and potency" of dietary supplements through facility audits and random off-the-shelf product testing.

Pharmavite products have been used in completed and ongoing clinical trials to test the role of dietary supplements in treating ailments, preventing disease and reducing nutrient deficiencies.