Industry blindsided by federal government's plan to track ill effects of natural health products
CTV
A new plan to force hospitals to report adverse effects of 'natural health products' such as herbal remedies and supplements has come as a surprise to manufacturers, who say they were blindsided by the proposed change.
A new plan to force hospitals to report adverse effects of "natural health products" such as herbal remedies and supplements has come as a surprise to manufacturers, who say they were blindsided by the proposed change.
The federal government included the plan in the 2023 budget bill, which is still making its way through the House of Commons.
It would see natural health products fall under the same category as pharmaceuticals when it comes to how they are monitored once they are on the market.
They would be incorporated into Vanessa's Law, which was passed in 2014 to improve the reporting of adverse health reactions.
It was named after 15-year-old Vanessa Young, the daughter of a Conservative member of Parliament, who died in 2000 after her heart rate had been affected by medication that was prescribed by her doctor.
Putting natural health products under that framework would require hospitals to report on any unintended consequences associated with them, so that Health Canada can recall them or order fixes if necessary.
The provisions had been discussed before, said Aaron Skelton, president of the Canadian Health Food Association. But "there was nothing that would have indicated to industry that it was imminent," he said.
