ANH E Blast

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Policing of products

 

" Flat to the boards " is the best way of describing the ANH team over

the last six weeks! Most of this extreme activity in our Dorking

(Surrey, UK) office has been caused by a rash of companies

approaching us after being told by EU regulatory agencies that they

need to withdraw products. This also caused us to miss our usual e-

Blast date.

 

In the UK, policing by the UK Foods Standards Agency (FSA) of the

products affected by the withdrawal of UK derogation dossiers

submitted after 12 July 2005, coupled with the new spate of

investigations by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products

Regulatory Agency (MHRA) into herbal products that are considered to

fall under the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive

(THMPD), has left many companies, selling into Europe, with a

vulnerable underside exposed. This is just a taste of things to

come, but the good news is that we have been successful at helping

many of these companies to find a way through most of the red tape

using the `good' science and our knowledge of the law at our

disposal. Critical to this is the need to preserve the right to be

able to sell within Europe food supplements that contain plant

extracts (botanicals), without these products being forced through

the quasi-drugs regime provided by the THMPD.

 

Cutting to the chase

 

We're sure many of you will be pleased to hear that following lots

of useful feedback from our supporters in different parts of the

world, we've decided to limit the amount of information we

communicate in our monthly eBlasts and focus the spotlight on

critical issues relevant to the public in our campaign.

 

In the coming months you will find that the majority of information

will be on our website and the eBlast will have a short excerpt with

a link to the remaining article. We hope that this will find the

middle ground between those of you wishing for more succinct

communication and those who prefer more in-depth analysis.

 

So let's cut to the chase………

 

Following are a list of facts:

 

Europeans may lose access to thousands of food supplements if the

ANH legal challenge is not successfully fought in the High Court in

London later this year or early next. Many of you may have thought

that the legal challenge that we brought to the European Court of

Justice between 2003/5 was over and that nothing could be achieved

by returning the High Court. Nothing could be further from the

truth – all of the gains made in the ECJ ruling will not find their

way into national laws UNLESS we go back to court! We need to raise

£40,000 – so please help us with a donation.

 

 

European nutritional practitioners are at great risk of losing many

of the most therapeutic products currently in their tool boxes. If

you rely on therapeutic substances or dosages, please understand

that these – not your low dose food supplements that populate

supermarket and pharmacy shelves – are most at risk from the

regulators. The temporary derogation system that stopped thousands

of vitamin and mineral-containing food supplements from being banned

on 1 August 2005 will slowly and steadily become eroded away. We

know of several key dossiers that are in the process of being

withdrawn and others will follow. We need to help cement the long-

term solution which requires completion of our legal challenge and

development of a new risk assessment paradigm, something we have

been pioneering for some time.

 

EU legislation provides the templates for future international

guidelines being developed through the Codex Alimentarius

Commission. The finalisation of these guidelines will become a

major threat to the even more liberal natural health regimes, such

as the US Dietary Supplement Health & Education Act of 1994. This

month we have made an important scientific submission to a key

Electronic Working Group in Codex, through our friends in the US

National Health Federation, in turn the only health freedom

organisation to have delegate status in Codex. Much of the organised

industry in the US is saying that Codex will have no impact at any

stage in the US – we disagree. Let's remember these same companies

and associations said that the Food Supplements Directive wouldn't

hurt US companies trading into Europe – clearly we're talking to

different companies!

Two new movies to take a look at

 

The consumer ultimately controls the agenda. If we, as consumers,

stop buying therapeutic natural products and succumb to the seeming

desires of regulatory agencies and pharmaceutical companies, we will

see natural healthcare – as a viable alternative to orthodox

medicine – collapse. This defeatist attitude will have us all

popping placebo cellulose, sold as harmonised formulations, in

harmonised bottles, in harmonised international markets. This is not

good for real healthcare. Critical to keeping the troops motivated

is good information and education, and films can be one of the most

powerful tools available today.

 

Those of you who haven't yet seen Kevin Miller's film about Codex,

please take should take 28 minutes of your time to educate

yourselves. The film is narrated by Oscar winning actress and ANH

supporter, Dame Judi Dench and is viewable as a movie from our

website homepage (but also available as a DVD – click here to buy).

You'll see interviews in it of Rob Verkerk and other key players in

the health freedom community.

 

But there are two new movies that you should know about.

 

Hummingbird Pictures has produced an independent feature film

entitled Side Effects, which has received a very enthusiastic

response from the holistic community. It stars US actress,

Katherine Heigl of Grey's Anatomy, and is a satirical, insider's

look at the questionable marketing practices of the pharmaceutical

industry based on the writer/director's ten years experience working

as a pharmaceutical sales representative. View a trailer of the film

and read reviews at: http://www.sideeffectsthemovie.com

 

A companion documentary, Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety,

was created to give a more in-depth, academic perspective on the

ethics of drug promotion, and features the commentary of key opinion

leaders throughout the USA. You can view a clip of the documentary

at: http://www.sideeffectsthemovie.com/press/

 

How can you SUPPORT us?

 

The ANH needs to raise £40,000 to return to the High Court in

London, to finalise our lawsuit against the EU Food Supplements

Directive. We also still need your support to help fund the 14 other

projects we are running concurrently.

 

A reminder of the ways in which you can make sure your continued

support can make the difference:

 

DONATE MONEY – please consider doing this on a regular

monthly basis through a standing order (UK) or Worldpay (worldwide)

or sending a cheque (details below).

 

DONATE NOW

 

DONATE YOUR TIME – give nothing but spend a few minutes

forwarding this email to at least 10 people in your contact list who

you know will value the information and take action.

 

DONATE YOUR KNOWLEDGE AND CREATIVITY – by organising a

gathering of friends and family, or an event some sort, which can be

used to educate and inform people, as well as raise funds, for the

ANH Campaign. Where we can, time and distance allowing, we will do

our best to support your endeavours in any way possible.

 

Thank you again to those of you who give of your invaluable

donations and support on a regular and/or spontaneous basis. Your

donations don't have to be large to make a difference.

 

Please send cheques (in GB pounds, US dollars or Euros) payable to

the `Alliance for Natural Health' to the Alliance for Natural

Health, The Atrium, Curtis Road, Dorking, Surrey RH4 1XA, United

Kingdom, or, alternatively, please donate using our secure server

via our website.

 

As always, we're interested in any feedback or suggestions you might

have and do our best to incorporate them in future eBlasts. Thank

you to all of you who continue to keep in touch.

 

In health,

 

The ANH Team