Natural Products and Adverse Events: Do Not Neglect to Report Them
by Natural products and adverse events: do not neglect to declare May 30, 2011 – If a natural health product cause a serious or unexpected adverse reaction, the Directorate of Natural Health Products Health Canada wants the consumer says. To protect the public, but also, as happened in the case of black cohosh, to restore the reputation of a plant unjustly suspected.
That, in essence, the message Mano Murty, MD to Products Directorate (NHPD) of Health Canada, 1 delivered at the 8th Conference of the Canadian Society for Research on Natural Health Products. “Too few people know they can tell us directly and easily these side effects. This is especially important in cases of self-medication, which is often the case when taking natural health products, “she said. Health Canada has established the MedEffect so that consumers can easily report an adverse reaction caused by a health product, whether natural or not
No wonder that Health Canada wants to increase the number of reports from the public. “In Canada we estimate that only 10% of adverse drug reactions are reported. It’s not much, but this figure falls to 1% for natural health products “lamented Dr. Mano Murty.
In 2010, Health Canada received 676 reports of adverse events potentially associated with a natural health product, of which 405 were from consumers. The adverse event reporting of health products is mandatory for the industry. It is voluntary for the public and for health professionals.
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