LACK OF REGULATION FOR NATURAL HEALTH PRODUCTS WILL LEAD TO POISONING

QUEBEC, Dec. 17, 2024 /CNW/ - The Canadian Association for Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicology communicates its strong opposition to Bill C-368 which compromises the only existing post-marketing surveillance of natural health product and thwarts the legal mechanism allowing dangerous products to be withdrawn from the market.

Despite the opposition of several healthcare professionals and public health experts, the House of Commons of Canada agreed on November 28th to pass Bill C-368 on to the Senate. This enactment amends the Food and Drugs Act to provide that natural health products are not therapeutic products anymore and therefore not subject to the same monitoring regime as other drugs.

As reported by 2018 poison centres data, involuntary poisonings caused 79,231 emergency department consultations. Natural health products are among the most frequent categories of substances evaluated by poison centers.

It is well known that natural health products can be associated with severe adverse events such as liver injury and drug interactions. Some products may not contain the amount of substance detailed on the label or even contain other substances not reported. Therefore, active post-marketing surveillance is a critical mechanism to withdraw dangerous products. It is imperative that the Canadian government protect the public who have the right to consume these products safely.

SOURCE The Canadian Association for Poison Centres and Clinical Toxicology

For more information: [email protected]