CHP Australia’s Statement on Vitamin B6
Consumer Healthcare Products Australia recognise the serious nature of concerns regarding the potential dangers of overconsumption of vitamin B6, however calls for further restriction are premature.
In 2021, the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) implemented two major regulatory changes to mitigate these risks:
- the upper limit for vitamin B6 was lowered from 200 mg per day to 100 mg per day
- all products containing more than 10mg of vitamin B6 per day were to display a warning statement, significantly lowered from the previous limit of 50mg per day
- New warning must be labelled as follows: WARNING – Stop taking this medication if you experience tingling, burning or numbness and see your healthcare practitioner as soon as possible. Contains vitamin B6.
These changes were made following an extensive review by the TGA’s Complementary and Over-the-Counter Medicines Branch, as well as public consultation. All products containing vitamin B6 were required to comply with these new requirements from 1 March 2023. With less than 24 months of these newly labelled products in the market, there is insufficient data to support claims about the efficacy of these changes.
Vitamin B6 has a long history of safe use in therapeutic goods, with over 1700 listed medicines containing a form of vitamin B6 on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). Vitamin B6 can be associated with the development of peripheral neuropathy in some individuals, usually occurring at higher doses or following long-term use of the products . While this may persist in rare cases, symptoms will frequently resolve within 6 months of discontinuation of vitamin B6 containing supplements.
CHP Australia supports consumer education and health literacy, emphasizing the importance of reading product labels. Recent updates to labelling requirements have increased awareness of potential adverse reactions and encouraged timely medical advice.
We encourage those with questions or concerns about their medicines to speak with their healthcare professional.
