The Regulation of Dietary Supplements in the Republic of Armenia

Abstract

Sixty-one dietary supplements are currently registered in Armenia and interest in these products has been growing. In 1996, the Armenian Drug and Medical Technology Agency of the Ministry of Health adopted the “Resolution of Licensing of Dietary Supplement Products.” This resolution is based upon the Drug Law of Armenia of 1998, which excludes from registration in Armenia any drugs that are detrimental to public health due to the uncontrolled sale of such products and the lack of information about them. The Drug and Medical Technology Agency created a product database with information about registered dietary supplements manufacturers, ingredients, and claims. The resolution and the database demonstrate the Drug and Medical Technology Agency’s dietary supplement expertise and evaluation criteria. The parameters for rejected dietary supplement applications are included and the requirements for dietary supplement labels are described. To prevent adulterated or counterfeit dietary supplements from being marketed in Armenia, special controls were introduced for some categories of dietary supplements (sedatives, hypoglycemic supplements, tonics, and arthritis supplements).