Canada NHP license regs in effect
This article was originally published in The Tan Sheet
Executive Summary
Health Canada implements the Natural Health Products Unprocessed Product License Applications Regulations, effective Aug. 4, to allow dietary supplements, homeopathics and other NHPs an expedited path to market. In a 1letter, the agency calls the regulations "a temporary solution" - in effect for 30 months - by which applicants seeking a natural health product number instead can receive an exemption number if Health Canada fails to license or reject a product within 180 days (2"The Tan Sheet" June 21, 2010). The agency faces a sizable backlog of license applications and expects the UPLARs to "provide for the legal sale of nearly 12,000 NHPs" that fit a minimum safety profile. The regulations came after Canadian pharmacists objected to Health Canada allowing NHPs with pending licenses to reach retail