Health Products and Food Branch international collaborative arrangements

Health Canada is collaborating with our international partners on issues related to drug and medical device clinical trials, authorizations, risk assessments, and potential shortages. Learn about how we are engaging our international partners on COVID-19 health products issues.

To support international collaboration including information and work sharing, Health Canada relies on confidentiality arrangements and memoranda of understanding with our counterpart regulatory agencies in other jurisdictions. These partnerships help to advance the effective regulation of health products and promote timely access to new drugs and medical devices.

  • Australia
    • Exchange of Letters between the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada and the Therapeutic Goods Administration of the Department of Health and Ageing of Australia with respect to the sharing of confidential information
    • Memorandum of Understanding between the Veterinary Drugs Directorate of the Department of Health of Canada and the Australian Pesticides and the Veterinary Medicines Authority of Australia
    • Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Innovation, Industry, Science and Research in relation to the National Measurement Institute, Australia and the Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health of Canada
  • Australia/New Zealand
    • Memorandum of Understanding between Food Standards Australia New Zealand (FSANZ) and Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada
  • Belgium
    • Memorandum of Understanding between the Centre d'Économie Rurale, Province of Luxembourg, Belgian Federation and The Bureau of Chemical Safety, Food Directorate, Health Products and Food Branch, Department of Health Canada
  • Brazil
    • Exchange of Letters constituting an Arrangement between Health Products and Food Branch and the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch of Health Canada and the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency (Agência Nacional de Vigilância Sanitária) in respect of the sharing of confidential information
  • China
    • Memorandum of Understanding between the China National Center for Food Safety Risk Assessment and the Food Directorate of the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada
    • Plan of Action for Regulatory Cooperation between the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada and the State Food and Drug Administration of the People's Republic of China on health products, including natural health products
  • European Union
    • European Food Safety Authority: Exchange of Letters facilitating the sharing of scientific information on food safety
    • Memorandum of Understanding between the Health Products and Food Branch of the Department of Health of Canada and the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare of the Council of Europe regarding Conformity of Substances for Pharmaceutical Use
    • Memorandum of Understanding between Biologics and Radiopharmaceuticals Drugs Directorate of Health Products and Food Branch, Health Canada and the EU's Official Control Authority Batch Release (OCABR) Network for Vaccines for Human Use and Medicinal Products derived from Human Blood and Plasma represented by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines and Healthcare of the Council of Europe
    • Working Arrangement between DG SANTE/EMA and Health Canada for the exchange of non-public information on health/medicinal products
  • Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations
    • Memorandum of Understanding between the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Food Directorate, Health Canada
  • France
    • Exchange of Letters constituting a Memorandum of Collaboration between the Health Products and Food Branch and the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch of Health Canada and the Agence nationale de sécurité du médicament et des produits de santé française with respect to sharing confidential information
    • Memorandum of Understanding between the Agence nationale de sécurité sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail (France) and the Food Directorate of Health Products and Food Branch of the Department of Health of Canada
    • Arrangement for the Sharing of Confidential Information between the Veterinary Drugs Directorate of the Department of Health Canada and France's Agence nationale de sécurite sanitaire de l'alimentation, de l'environnement et du travail - Agence nationale du médicament vétérinaire
  • Germany
    • Exchange of Letters constituting an arrangement between the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada and the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute of Germany with respect to sharing of confidential information
  • Hong Kong
    • Plan of Action for Regulatory Cooperation on Natural Health Products between the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada and the Department of Health of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
  • Ireland
    • Exchange of letters constituting an arrangement between the Health Products and Food Branch and the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch of Health Canada and the Irish Medicines Board with respect to the sharing of confidential information
  • Israel
    • Confidentiality Arrangement between the Department of Health of Canada and Israel Ministry of Health
  • Japan
    • Exchange of Letters between the Health Products and Food Branch and the Health Environments and Consumer Safety Branch of Health Canada and the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare and the Pharmaceutical and Medical Devices Agency of Japan
  • Republic of Korea
    • Regulatory Collaboration between the Biopharmaceutical and Herbal Medicine Evaluation Department of the National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation of the Republic of Korea and the Biologics and Radiopharmaceutical Drugs Directorate of Health Canada of Canada
    • Regulatory Collaboration Work Plan Between The Medical Device Evaluation Department of The National Institute of Food and Drug Safety Evaluation(NIFDS) of The Republic of Korea and The Medical Device Bureau of Health Canada of Canada
  • Medical Device Single Audit Program (MDSAP)
    • Statement of Cooperation among the United States Food and Drug Administration, the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration, the Brazilian Health Surveillance Agency, and the Canadian Health Products and Food Branch regarding Cooperation in the Medical Device Single Audit Program
  • Mexico
    • Collaborative Arrangement between the Department of Health of Canada and the Ministry of Health of the United Mexican States
  • Netherlands
    • Exchange of Letters constituting an arrangement between the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada and the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch of Health Canada and the Medicines Evaluation Board of The Netherlands and the Dutch Health Care Inspectorate with respect to the sharing of confidential information
  • New Zealand
    • Exchange of Letters constituting an Arrangement between the Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada and the Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Authority (Medsafe) of the Ministry of Health of New Zealand in respect to sharing of confidential information
    • Arrangement between the Health Products and Food Branch of the Department of Health Canada and the Ministry for Primary Industries of New Zealand on Food Safety, Health Product Safety, and Nutrition
  • Pan American Health Organization
    • Memorandum of Understanding between the Health Products and Food Branch of the Department of Health of Canada and the Pan American Health Organization, Regional Office of the World Health Organization for Regulatory Exchange Platform-Secure
  • Poland
    • Arrangement between the Office for Registration of Medicinal Products, Medical Devices and Biocidal Products of Poland and the Canadian Health Products and Food Branch for the Sharing of Confidential Information for the Purposes of the Medical Devices Single Audit Program
  • Singapore
    • Confidentiality Arrangement between the Department of Health of Canada and the Health Sciences Authority of Singapore
  • Sweden
    • Exchange of Letters constituting an arrangement between the Medical Products Agency of Sweden and the Health Products and Food Branch and the Healthy Environments and Consumer Safety Branch with respect to the sharing of confidential information
  • Switzerland
    • Confidentiality Arrangement between the Department of Health of Canada and the Swiss Federal Department of Home Affairs
  • United Kingdom
    • Exchange of Letters between Health Products and Food Branch and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency of the United Kingdom Department of Health with respect to the sharing of confidential information
    • Arrangement between the Veterinary Drugs Directorate of Health Canada and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, United Kingdom in respect of the sharing of confidential information
    • Memorandum of Understanding between the Food Standards Agency of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and the Food Directorate Health Products and Food Branch of Health Canada
  • United States
    • The Department of Health of Canada, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency and the United States Food and Drug Administration: Food Safety Systems Recognition Arrangement
    • Confidentiality Commitment Statement of Legal Authority and Commitment from Health Canada not to publicly disclose non-public information shared by the United States Food and Drug Administration of the United States Department of Health and Human Services
  • World Health Organization (WHO)
    • Confidentiality Arrangement between the Department of Health of Canada and the World Health Organization for the Nitrosamines International Strategic Group

Health Products and Food Branch international collaborative arrangements are available upon request at hc.hpfb_international_dgpsa.sc@canada.ca.

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