Unlicensed Natural Health Products Get a Break:Enforcement Will Be Pushed to 201

[Guest guest]

Moderator's Note: Yippeee! " Unlicensed " Natural products won't be " cracked

down " from " enforcement " for now by big pharma- until big pharma has

" compliance " policy. Why do natural products have to be licensed again? Why do

natural products have to comply with big pharma? By who and why is this stuff

being written?

-------------

 

From Hans e-News Dec 15, 2009

 

Unlicensed Natural Health Products Get a Break: Enforcement Will Be Pushed

to 2011 While Federal Department Develops Compliance Policy

by December 2, 2009 Vancouver Sun

_http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Unlicensed+health+products+break/22924

86/story.html_

(http://www.vancouversun.com/business/Unlicensed+health+products+break/2292486/s\

tory.html)

(http://www.papercut.biz/emailStripper.htm)

 

Health Canada won't crack down on unlicensed natural health products for

sale in Canada for at least another year, despite recent assurances that a

new compliance plan would kick in soon.

 

 

The news, delivered privately to industry insiders at Health Canada

workshops over the last two weeks, comes after Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq

assured parliamentarians earlier this fall that the government was on track to

clear a product licensing backlog by March 2010 and implement **a

compliance strategy for 2010.**

 

 

Health Canada reaffirmed Tuesday that the department is on target to meet

the March deadline. But in workshops officials told industry

representatives not to worry about that date.

 

 

Health Canada's current policy allows companies to sell unlicensed natural

health products, provided they've submitted a product licence application

with Health Canada's natural health product directorate and the department

is not aware of any health risk associated with the product.

 

 

Natural health products include teas, vitamins, mineral supplements,

herbal products, exotic substances and several novel foods and drinks.

 

 

Overall, of the nearly 42,000 product licence applications received since

2004, Health Canada says the directorate has completed about 73 per cent of

the applications.

 

 

**They said, 'Look, (March 2010) is an internal target deadline for the

natural health product directorate to try and get through the backlog of

applications,** Carl Carter, the director of regulatory affairs and policy

development at the Canadian Health Food Association, said Tuesday. **It is by no

means, a firm compliance and enforcement date, that if you have don't have

a natural product number by that date, we're going to start taking your

products off the market or potentially charge you under the regulations or

the act.**

 

 

During these recent briefings with industry players, Carter also said

Health Canada officials made it clear enforcement actions will be pushed to 2011

while the department develops a compliance policy.

 

 

**Based on the plan that they've articulated in those workshops, there will

be activity regarding compliance and enforcement in 2010, but it's more in

the continuing development of the policy rather than actually forcing

product off the shelf or stopping product from being imported,** said Carter.

 

 

**We encourage Health Canada to do more to reach out to stakeholders,** he

added, **because of this very, very serious concern that existed in

people's mind about this looming enforcement.**

 

 

© Copyright © The Vancouver Sun

 

 

__________