Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline has petitioned the FDA to classify weight loss claims for dietary supplements as disease claims. Many say that this is nothing more than an attempt by the makers of alli, an over-the-counter weight loss drug, to quash competition from the supplement weight loss industry.

It is yet another instance of a pharmaceutical giant using its considerable monetary, legal and political advantages against competing products.

This could have vast implications for the rapidly-growing supplement weight loss industry, estimated to currently be worth $1.3 billion in annual sales, but for the dietary supplements industry overall.