Monitoring health products on the Canadian market

We monitor the compliance of health products on the market through a planned review. Learn about the process for these reviews.

On this page

• Reviews to monitor compliance on the marketplace
• How we select products to review
• What we do as part of a review
• After we review products
• Completed reports on compliance monitoring
• For more information

Reviews to monitor compliance on the marketplace

Once a health product is on the market, we monitor its compliance. One way we do this is through planned reviews.

Health products must meet requirements in order to be legally sold in Canada. These requirements are outlined in the Food and Drugs Act and its regulations. For example, a product licence is required for:

• drugs
• natural health products
• medical devices (except Class I devices)

When we issue a licence, it means we have reviewed the safety of the product before it goes to market.

How we select products to review

A review is usually focused on specific types of products. For example, we may choose a product that has had an increasing number of complaints. Through the review, we collect information that helps us to determine if there are additional problems in the market.

What we do as part of a review

As part of a review, inspectors may check that health products:

• don’t pose a risk to health
• contain what they say they should
• list necessary information on their label
• are licensed for sale in Canada (if a licence is required)
• make only health claims that they’re authorized to make (called terms of market authorization)

After we review products

When an inspector finds a product that doesn’t meet the requirements, we:

• clarify what’s necessary to achieve compliance
• take action according to our Compliance and Enforcement Policy (POL-0001)
  • a request for the voluntary stop of sale
  • recalls
  • the suspension of a company’s licence

It’s then the regulated party’s responsibility to take timely and appropriate action to comply with legislative and regulatory requirements.

We will inform you about any unsafe products by posting:

• recall notices and public advisories
• findings from planned reviews for compliance monitoring

Completed reports on compliance monitoring

Once a review is completed, we make the results available to the public. Browse the completed reviews.

For more information

• Health Canada’s Action Plan on Medical Devices
• About drug inspections
• About medical device inspections
• Food and Drugs Act