Canadian Regulator Publishes Counterfeit Guidance

(SecuringPharma.com)

Health Canada has finalised a guidance document on counterfeiting of health products, laying out the principles of how the agency intends to identify, assess and manage health risks associated with fakes.

The primary objective of the response strategy is “to manage the risk to Canadians and to have the counterfeit product removed from market using the most appropriate level of intervention and notifying parties at risk,” according to Diana Dowthwaite, Health Canada’s Director General.

The document indicates that the presence of counterfeit health products in the regulated supply chain in Canada is “infrequent.” Nevertheless the purpose of the new guideline is to help Health Canada’s inspectorate and enforcement officials focus on potential vulnerabilities in health product “manufacturing, packaging/labelling, wholesaling, importation, distribution, sale and use.” Read more here.