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Health Canada issued the following statement right after the press conference on July 15. It’s a friendly message from them; however, we need to continue keeping an eye on issue and get involved with the consultations to make sure our voices are heard:
In Canada, natural health products (NHPs) are regulated under the Natural Health Product Regulations, which came into force in 2004 and were created to differentiate NHPs from prescription and non-prescription drugs.
Health Canada is aware of various allegations, circulating online and in other fora, that the Department plans to regulate NHPs as drugs. These claims are categorically false. There are no plans to change the status of NHPs under the Natural Health Products Regulations. NHPs will continue to not be subject to non-prescription and prescription drug requirements (which are set out separately in the Food and Drug Regulations).
Health Canada has been consulting on proposed specific changes to the Natural Health Product Regulations to make NHP product labels easier to read and understand. These changes are intended to better support consumers in selecting and safely using NHPs, and are not expected to impact the availability of such products to consumers. While these proposed changes aim to make labels easier to read, they would in no way affect how the product is otherwise regulated.
Since fall 2016, Health Canada has conducted extensive consultations to gain a broad perspective on this proposal. The Department has received input from over 4,500 consumers, as well as representatives from industry, health care professionals, academia and many other interested stakeholders. This feedback has helped Health Canada refine this proposal.
The Government of Canada maintains its commitment to preserving access to a wide range of health products, while making sure that Canadians have the information they need to make informed choices. For this reason, the Department is focussed on improving labelling of natural health products.
It is also important to note that any future changes to the regulation of natural health products, such as the proposal being developed to improve labels, would be subject to further consultation. For information on Health Canada's proposal, please refer to the Government of Canada website.
Great little comment.... but it completely side-steps the issue of where they define Chinese herbal medicines. Licensed TCM practitioners “prescribe” herbs according to a specific set of diagnostic guidelines. The products we use as clinicians really ought to be exempt from NHP requirements.
