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Chondroitin sulfate
Chondroitin sulfate is a natural component of joint cartilage. The substance is contained in numerous products offered as food supplements which have market significance. Food supplements are foodstuffs. They serve the purpose of supplementing the normal diet. Chondroitin sulfate is not authorised as a medicinal product for oral use in the treatment of joint disease in Germany. Unlike medicinal products, food supplements are not generally subject to authorisation or official assessment before they are put onto the market. They must be safe and must not be harmful to health. The responsibility here lies with the manufacturers/distributors of the products. Their ingredients should not have substantial pharmacological effects.
The German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) conducted a risk assessment of the use of chondroitin sulfate as an ingredient of food supplements in 2007. As a number of new scientific publications on the use of the substance by humans have appeared in the meantime, the BfR has updated its assessment.
BfR opinion Risk assessment of chondroitin sulfate in food supplements 
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7/12/2018
