Vitamin supplements with high levels of B6 will be removed from general sale in Australia – here’s what you need to know

Dr Evangeline Mantzioris, a sports dietitian at the University of South Australia, says the rapid growth in the market of products and supplements enriched with vitamin B makes the changes ‘sensible’. Photograph: Brian Hagiwara/Getty Images

Australia’s drug regulator has ordered that supplements with high levels of vitamin B6 be removed from general sale in response to hundreds of reports of nerve damage and other side-effects linked to long-term use.

From June 2027 any vitamin B6 product containing more than 50mg in each recommended daily dose will be moved behind the pharmacy counter. The recommended dietary intake of vitamin B6 for a healthy adult is just 1.3mg to 1.7mg a day.