St. Catherine’s MP Rick Dykstra was on a local talkshow this morning trying to allay fears that have been stirred up by the natural health products industry regarding Bill C-51 (An Act to Amend the Food and Drug Act ). As previously noted , Cambridge MP Gary Goodyear is also trying to address concerns.
This Bill has caused quite a fuss in our family because there are a few members who are very into natural health products, and quite suspicious of the ‘Big-Pharm’. Others of us believe there is a place for both natural remedies and prescription drugs.
Anyway, Rick Dykstra’s message basically was that this bill would not prevent Canadians from purchasing their beloved natural health products – it would merely attempt to force them to support the claims they make as to effectiveness, and ensure that the product is safe. All this seems entirely reasonable to me.
Rick mentioned the Government website healthycanadians.ca as a resource to obtain more information. Specifically, there is section dedicated to answering questions about this Bill. Many of the urban legends floating around lately are dealt with on this site.
What interests me in all this is the animosity between the pharmaceutical and natural products industries. The degree of suspicion and almost religious zeal on either side is astounding. ‘Big Pharm’ is probably concerned about the increasing popularity of natural health products, and producers of the latter are likely concerned that government red tape may affect their bottom line.
And the bewildered consumer is caught helplessly in the middle.
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Update : Concerns raised about proposed bill – Star .
I would not be surprised if “Big Pharma” had the power to write its own legislation. The insurance companies do it all the time -zing-. But, it seems to be pretty run o’ the mill consumer protection legislation. Does anyone know of any impetus for the legislation like some high profile deaths or anything? Or is it out of left field?
I imagine from a practical standpoint, it will only actually be used in the event of a tainted batch of Cold FX that kills a busload of school children anyway. It will give the ability to punish after the fact. I doubt there will be this new crack system of monitoring over the gazillion products sold at the GNC. Or….maybe Joe Suit at Big Pharma will have a hotline to Joe Inspector and be able to say, hey those SOB St. John’s Wart (sp.?) peddlers are really busting my nuts here. My HappyPill sales are way down. Go turn over some shelves and torch some crates, pronto. Hmmm.
What ever happened to Dodds Kidney Pills. And remember the Ayds pill (forget what it was for). There are many productts that have been on the market and left the shelves for one reason or another.
And there will always be the natural cures our grandmothers used.
What are either side afraid of-other than loss of money.
Sorry, this comment is long but I don’t know how to shorten it.
I wish people would stop sweating ‘Big Pharma’. They spend astronomical amounts of money to bring drugs to market and obviously, they are in business to make a profit.
The vitamin/herbal supplement/etc market is at present completely unregulated. Half of these products people are buying come from unknown sources and contain unknown ingredients because there is no obligation to a) test the products in pre-clinical and clinical trials; b) certify that they contain what they purport to contain; c) ensure that they meet federal standards.
If people want to roll the dice and use some of these products, I don’t have a problem with it. However, just because something is ‘natural’, it doesn’t mean it’s safe. Most pharmaceuticals, etc, are derived from natural sources – it’s actually irrelevant in terms of safety or efficacy. Those people who don’t trust pharmaceuticals but will buy these other things should make sure they are buying from reputable companies which will give them some protection.
I read an article in the NEJM years ago where they analyzed a lot of common supplements. Many were found to contain foreign matter, including harmful ingredients. Some contained none of the product advertised on the label. It was quite interesting.
A friend of mine who is a hematology researcher was telling me about the recent Heparin recall (not the low molecular weight, that’s OK). He had 100g for experiments at the molecular level – that is a LOT of it. It was in the recall batch. What happened was that another ingredient which simulates Heparin on analysis due to its structure had been used as a filler. It passed inspection. The source was in China. The substitute (I’ve forgotten what it was, sorry) ingredient actually has the opposite effect to Heparin which as you know is used in surgery to avoid clotting, in medical equipment to prevent clogs, etc. It’s an important lifesaving drug – produced by Big Pharma.
I’ve seen some conspiracy-theory websites aout this Bill and those people are out to lunch. I read the Bill because I go to the source and don’t have a problem with it at all, except for the warrantless entry into a place of business and I’m not even sure that bothers me too much.
People can import stuff for their own use or the use of their dependents.
This Bill is long overdue, imo, and is about regulating and testing at the federal level, not about raiding people’s herb gardens or going through their kitchen cupboards.
Well said, Caveat, and please don’t ever apologize for a long comment. You’ve made some excellent points.
…except for the warrantless entry into a place of business and I’m not even sure that bothers me too much.
And that concern is addressed here in the Government site that I linked to in the main post:
5. Does Bill C-51 allow inspectors to go into private homes at will?
No. If an inspector needed to enter a private home, they would have to have the owner’s consent or, after making a compelling case to a judge, a warrant to enter. There is nothing in Bill C-51 that changes this.
Some manufacturing sites may not be situated on public roads or beside public spaces. The Bill contains a provision that would permit inspectors to cross private property to gain access to a manufacturing site. This provision does not, in any way, permit an inspector to enter a private home without consent or a warrant.