Final answer:
Herbal therapy does not undergo the rigorous testing required for FDA approval as drugs do, being regulated instead as foods. Consumers benefit from the safety of approved drugs, while some companies and individuals seeking alternative treatments might be disadvantaged by the stringent regulatory process.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that herbal therapy is not regulated by the FDA is true. Unlike prescription and over-the-counter drugs, which must undergo rigorous testing for safety and efficacy before being approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), herbal supplements are treated as foods rather than drugs. Therefore, they do not need to meet the same standards that drugs do prior to being marketed. Manufacturers of herbal supplements are responsible for ensuring their products are safe and that any claims made about them are accurate. However, the FDA does not review these supplements for safety or efficacy before they reach the market.
The winners in the system of drug regulation are consumers who are protected from unsafe medicines. The losers in this case can be those companies that must bear the high costs of long testing and approval processes, which might delay access to potentially beneficial drugs. Additionally, consumers seeking treatments not yet approved or those looking for alternative therapies may also feel disadvantaged by the strict regulations.