Natural health products international activities
The Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD) has changed its name to the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD) subsequent to its recently expanded mandate to include the oversight of non-prescription and disinfectant drugs in addition to natural health products (NHPs). Please note that we are currently modifying documents to reflect this change.
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Modern business operates within a global market, and the natural health products industry is no exception. While a strong portion of the natural health products available in Canada are Canadian-made, a very significant portion is also imported from foreign jurisdictions, such as Europe, South-America, the United-States, and Asia. To help facilitate the free-flow of natural health products across Canada's borders, Health Canada has established several Mutual Recognition Agreements (MRAs) and Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with foreign regulatory bodies on matters of common interest.
The following section provides information on Health Canada's current MOUs and MRAs relating to natural health products.
Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs)
Health Canada presently has a Memoranda of Understanding (MOU) related to Good Manufacturing Practices with the following countries.
- Australia
- France
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
This MOU stipulates that an official inspection report from the regulatory authority of one of these five countries would be considered appropriate data to establish that a drug or natural health product has been fabricated, packaged/ labeled and/or tested against equivalent standards to the GMP requirements set out in Part 3 of the Natural Health Products Regulations.
This information is available in Appendix 6 of the Site Licence Guidance Document
Cooperative Agreements and Activities
- Closer ties on medicines safety between European and Canadian regulatory authorities.
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