Canada hopes to boost regulation on natural health products. Here’s why
Global News
The federal government is hoping to strengthen its regulatory power over natural health products, such as vitamins and homoeopathic medicines.
The federal government is hoping to strengthen its regulatory power over natural health products, such as vitamins and homeopathic medicines, according to a measure in Tuesday’s 2023 budget.
The budget proposes amending the Food and Drugs Act to extend powers by the Protecting Canadians from Unsafe Drugs Act (also known as Vanessa’s Law) to natural health products.
“These changes would protect the health of Canadians by enabling regulators to take stronger action when health or safety issues are identified with natural health products on the market,” the budget states.
Vanessa’s Law is a piece of 2014 legislation that requires the reporting of serious adverse effects for medications used within the Canadian health-care system, explained Barry Power, editor and chief of the Canadian Pharmacists Association.
The law applies to an array of products including prescription and over-the-counter drugs, vaccines, gene therapies, tissues and organs, and medical devices. It does not cover natural health products.
“With natural health products, there is no requirement for health-care professionals or consumers to report side effects that come with it,” Power said.
In Canada, natural health products are currently regulated separately from pharmaceutical drugs, and include vitamins, minerals, herbal remedies and homeopathic medicines, and “must be safe for use as over-the-counter products,” according to Health Canada.
All natural health products sold in the country are subject to the Natural Health Products Regulations, which came into force in 2004, Health Canada states.
The family behind one of Canada’s most well-known ice-cream brands says they’re absorbing “all immediate increases in our costs” as the U.S.-Canada trade war heats up.
Friedrich Trump called his business in Bennett, a town that sprang up because of the Klondike Gold Rush, the Arctic Restaurant & Hotel.
A new poll suggests that 40 per cent of Canadians are worried about losing their jobs as many businesses scale back hiring plans in response to the trade war with the U.S.
At the Halifax Stanfield International Airport, the tariff trade war between Canada and the U.S. is leaving flyers who travel between the two countries feeling very uneasy.
The man pleaded guilty to one count of violating the Migratory Birds Regulations after hunting snow geese without a permit, says a release from the ECCC.
Doug Ford is set to fly in and out of the U.S. capital on Thursday for a meeting with President Donald Trump's commerce secretary which could calm or reignite trade tensions.
'Half of us here are dual citizens, including me -- Canadian and American, half of us,' Point Roberts resident Brian Calder told Global News.
The proposed upgrades include parking lot improvements, wider trails, and a 2.4-metre-wide multi-use pathway.
Carney will replace Justin Trudeau after winning a race for the Liberal leadership on Sunday, and will take the reins of government amid a growing trade war with the U.S.
A Toronto woman who faced multiple charges in a dog attack that seriously injured a child has pleaded guilty to some of them, including a criminal charge of negligence.
Doug Ford was spending Wednesday meeting with Canada's incoming prime minister and speaking to his fellow premiers ahead of a trip Thursday to Washington, D.C.
The Bank of Canada cut its benchmark rate by 25 basis points, bringing it down to 2.75 per cent. Experts say the outlook for the housing market remains hazy.
Officers received a call shortly after noon Wednesday about an unconscious person who was found on the slopes, lying near a tree.