Health Canada Provides Easier Access To Information On Licensed Natural Health Products

Main Category: Complementary Medicine / Alternative Medicine
Article Date: 10 Sep 2008 - 0:00 PDT

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The Honourable Tony Clement, Minister of Health, launched a new online database that will improve access to information on licensed natural health products. The Licensed Natural Health Products Database will allow Canadians to quickly and easily search for more detailed information on natural health products that have been authorized for sale in Canada.

"The Government of Canada recognizes that more and more Canadians are using natural health products, and that the market for these products continues to grow at an extraordinary rate," said Minister Clement. "As part of Canada's Food and Consumer Safety Action Plan, the Government made commitments to Canadians to provide better safety information. The availability of this new database will further enable Canadians to make safe and informed choices about the natural health products they choose to use."

Canadians will be able to use the database to search for information on approved natural health products including authorized health claims and recommended uses, risk information such as warnings and cautions, and medicinal ingredients associated with the product. It will be updated regularly as more products are licensed.

The database will also help practitioners, pharmacists and Canadians determine which products have been assessed by Health Canada and have found to be safe, effective and of high quality under their recommended conditions of use.

Canadians are also reminded that natural health products that have been authorized for sale are issued a Natural Health Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM), which appears on the product's packaging.

The Licensed Natural Health Products Database is available here.

Health Canada