On July 31, Rona Ambrose, minister of health, announced changes for certain homeopathic products that fall under the Natural Health Product Regulations (NHPR), specifically nosode products as well as homeopathic cough, cold and flu products for children 12 and under.
The government of Canada believes that current package labelling for these products “may not be adequate for Canadians to make informed choices.”
“I am introducing these changes to ensure that Canadian parents who choose to use homeopathic products have the information they need to make informed health choices for themselves and their children,” Ambrose says.
All nosode product license holders are requested to include a new statement on nosode labels: “This product is neither a vaccine nor an alternative to vaccination. This product has not been proven to prevent infection. Health Canada does not recommend its use in children and advises that your child receive all routine vaccinations.”
“As I have mentioned many times before, I continue to encourage vaccination, as it is safe and provides important benefits for our children’s health throughout their lives,” Ambrose says.
Nosode licence holders have been asked to comply with the new labelling changes by January 2016. Ambrose says Health Canada will no longer approve specific health claims on homeopathic products for cough, cold, and flu for children 12 and under, unless those claims are supported by scientific evidence.
