Summary of Expertise/Experience, Affiliations and Interests Expert Advisory Committee on Veterinary Natural Health Products (EAC-vNHP)

Purpose of the Summary

The following table summarizes the information about expertise or experience, sector representation, and affiliations and interests relevant to the EAC-vNHP mandate provided by Committee members as part of the nomination process. This Summary is made available as part of the Branch's commitment to be transparent about the membership of its advisory bodies.

Sector Definitions

Representative from the industry sector - An individual who is affiliated with a for-profit organization involved in research, wholesale, distribution or manufacturing of veterinary pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, biologics, radiopharmaceuticals or natural health products, or an industry association.

Representative from the health professional sector - Health professionals include, but are not restricted to, veterinarians, veterinary natural health practitioners and alternative medicine practitioners.

Representative from the consumer sector - Consumers are users or purchasers of products that Health Canada regulates. These include, among others, users or purchasers of veterinary products such as producers (farming). Individuals may also be affiliated with a consumer association.

Representative from the research or academic sector - An individual who is affiliated with a non-governmental association and/or post-secondary institution involved in performing research related to the work of the Health Products and Food Branch.

Representative from a provincial or territorial regulators - Territorial/provincial representatives are government employees who have expertise in some activities that fall under the jurisdiction of territories /provinces but that are similar in nature to those that are of federal jurisdiction.

Assessment of Affiliations and Interests Prior to Each Meeting

Prior to each committee meeting, the Health Products and Food Branch assesses members' affiliations and interests, including direct financial interests, as they may apply to agenda items for discussion. Depending on the nature of the member's affiliations or interests, the Branch, or the chair of the committee in consultation with the Branch, may limit the participation of a member in the meeting or ask them to make a verbal statement of affiliations and interests at the beginning of the meeting. Members' affiliations and interests are reviewed on an annual basis and updated as required based on changes in the status of their affiliations and interests.

In accordance with the Health Products and Food Branch's Review of Regulated Products: Policy on Public Input and Guidance on Advisory Bodies a person with a direct financial interest in the outcome of a review of a regulated product, or class of products, may be a member of an advisory body whose broader mandate encompasses matters of policy, management, or program development. However, such a member would not be asked to participate in any discussion, formulation of advice, or recommendations to the Branch relating to that review.

Indicated Sector and Expertise

Sector:

• Health professional;
• Industry;
• Consumer;
• Consumer (farming);
• Research/academia; and
• Provincial/territorial regulators.

Expertise/ experience:

• Veterinary medicine and animal science;
• Natural/alternative animal health;
• Homeopathy;
• Herbalism;
• Traditional Chinese Medicine; and
• Consumer expertise.

Cheryl Yuill (Chair)

Indicated Sector and Expertise of Responses:
Health professional; veterinary medicine, natural/alternative animal health, homeopathy

Summary of Responses:
1a. No; 2a. No; 2b. No; 2c. No; 3a. Yes; 3b. No; 3c. Yes; 4a. No

Comments: Commented on behalf of the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO) regarding a proposed definition for veterinary natural health products (vNHPs) in 2007. Member of the Academy of Veterinary Homeopathy.

Guy Chamberland

Indicated Sector and Expertise of Responses: Industry; natural/alternative animal health, herbalism

Summary of Responses:
1a. Yes ; 2a. No; 2b. No; 2c. No; 3a. Yes; 3b. No; 3c. Yes; 4a. No

Comments: Employee and stockholder of Biotanika, a company that markets products containing botanical ingredients. A family member is also among the founders of the company. As a product development and regulatory consultant, has provided paid advice on veterinary natural health products to the vNHP industry. His nomination on the committee was supported by the Canadian Herb, Spice and Natural Health Products Coalition (trade association).

Pauline Nadlersmith

Indicated Sector and Expertise of Responses:
Consumer (farming), industry; natural/alternative animal health

Summary of Responses:
1a. No; 2a. Yes; 2b. No; 2c. No; 3a. No; 3b. No; 3c. No; 4a. No

Comments: Consultant for Crystal Creek, a livestock nutritional company based in Wisconsin. She assists them in registering their products, and organizes seminars for farmers on behalf of that company. She also is the Manitoba Field Manager for Organic Meadow, a farmer-owned cooperative which processes and markets organic products throughout Canada. She helps both transitional and organic farmers with herd management issues or quality and certification concerns and assists them in accessing the educational resources and the tools they require to successfully run their organic operations.

Wendy Pearson

Indicated Sector and Expertise of Responses:
Research, industry; veterinary medicine, natural/alternative animal health, herbalism

Summary of Responses:
1a. No; 2a. Yes; 2b. Yes; 2c. No; 3a. No; 3b. No; 3c. No; 4a. No

Comments: Currently employed as a post-doctoral research fellow in the Department of Plant Agriculture, University of Guelph. Has recently worked with a company that provides consulting services to client companies in the food and healthcare industries, including those producing health products and feed additives for horses. While employed as a consultant, has attended conferences for which travel and accommodation costs were covered by client companies.

Gerrit Rietveld

Indicated Sector and Expertise of Responses:
Provincial partners, research; animal science

Summary of Responses:
1a. No; 2a. No; 2b. No; 2c. No; 3a. Yes; 3b. No; 3c. Yes; 4a. No

Comments: Serves as the Ontario Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs representative and secretary on the Livestock Medicines Advisory Committee.

Gregory Tilford

Indicated Sector and Expertise of Responses:
Health professional, industry; natural/alternative animal health, herbalism

Summary of Responses:
1a. Yes; 2a. No; 2b. No; 2c. No; 3a. Yes; 3b. No; 3c. No; 4a. No

Comments: Co-founder and employee of Animal Essentials and Animals Apawthecary, two US-based companies that market herbal products that are classified as supplements in that jurisdiction. Chair of the Animal Products Committee of the American Herbal Products Association (a trade association). Serves on the scientific advisory board of the National Animal Supplements Council, a trade association. Has been an invited lecturer at numerous international professional conferences and universities on the topic of use of herbal products in animals.

Paul Dick

Indicated Sector and Expertise of Responses:
Industry; veterinary medicine, natural/alternative animal health

Summary of Responses:
1a. Yes; 2a. No; 2b. No; 2c. No; 3a. Yes; 3b. Yes; 3c. Yes; 4a. No

Comments: Employee of Chemafor, a biotechnology research & development company that manufactures small-molecule natural health products for animal applications. At the moment of his nomination to the EAC-vNHP, he was working for another company, Elanco, member of the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI), a trade association representing animal health companies.

Pierre Gadbois

Indicated Sector and Expertise of Responses:
Industry; veterinary medicine, natural/alternative animal health

Summary of Responses:
1a. Yes; 2a. No; 2b. No; 2c. No; 3a. No; 3b. No; 3c. Yes; 4a. No

Comments: Employee of Vetoquinol, a company that sells veterinary products, including products that may be regulated under the vNHP classification. This company is member of the Canadian Animal Health Institute (CAHI), a trade association representing animal health companies. Attended meetings and workshops on vNHPs, which involved both the Canadian Animal Heath Institute and the Veterinary Drugs Directorate of Health Canada.

Steve Marsden

Indicated Sector and Expertise of Responses:
Health professional, industry; veterinary medicine, natural/alternative animal health, herbalism, Traditional Chinese Medicine

Summary of Responses:
1a. Yes ; 2a. No; 2b. No; 2c. No; 3a. Yes; 3b. No; 3c. Yes; 4a. No

Comments: Shareholder of Natural Path Herb, a company that markets veterinary herbal remedies, and of the College of Integrative Veterinary Therapies, which provide education and learning material to veterinarians worldwide. Also a director of an US-based learning institution, the National college of Natural Medicine, which provides alternative therapies training to physicians. Contributed articles and lectured for professional veterinary associations on the use of herbal medicine and veterinary practice in general. Member of various Canadian and American veterinary and naturopathic associations.

William Bookout

Indicated Sector and Expertise of Responses:
Industry; natural/alternative animal health

Summary of Responses:
1a. Yes; 2a. No; 2b. No; 2c. No; 3a. No; 3b. Yes; 3c. Yes; 4a. No

Comments: Financial interest in Genesis Ltd, a company that markets and sells products in the US that may be regulated under the vNHP classification. President and founding member of the National Animal Supplement Council (NASC), a United States based trade association. As NASC President, has provided formal opinion in the form of summaries regarding regulatory issues at pet product and veterinary meetings and has sometimes had expenses paid or reimbursed by NASC member companies. Public statements include training meetings for the NASC members with attendance of both regulators and industry, and lobbying activities with US Congress representatives on issues such as adverse event reporting.

Robert Tremblay

Indicated Sector and Expertise of Responses:
Industry, research; veterinary medicine, natural/alternative animal health

Summary of Responses:
1a. Yes; 2a. No; 2b. No; 2c. No; 3a. Yes; 3b. No; 3c. No; 4a. No

Comments: Employed by Boehringer-ingelheim, a company that does not market veterinary natural health products. It does, however, market pharmaceuticals that are regulated under the Food and Drug Regulations. As a member of technical committees of the Verified Beef Production (Canadian Cattlemen Association - a trade association) and the Canadian Quality Milk Program (Dairy Farmers of Canada - a trade association), has provided advice on the use of vNHPs on beef and dairy farms.