Health Minister Rona Ambrose (Edmonton-Spruce Grove, Alta.) issued a national Call for Proposals to improve the prescribing practices for prescription drugs that have a high risk of abuse or addiction. Health Canada will devote $3.6 million to support the development of evidence-based practices for appropriate prescribing of the most commonly abused classes of prescription drugs: opioids, stimulants, … Read more
Health Canada is advising patients and healthcare professionals of new safety information regarding testosterone hormone replacement products and a risk of serious and possibly life-threatening cardiovascular (heart and blood vessel) problems. Testosterone hormone replacement products are used in men who are experiencing medical conditions because their body cannot make enough testosterone. In Canada, there are … Read more
Health Minister Rona Ambrose (Edmonton-Spruce Grove, Alta.) launched a series of online public consultations on proposed changes that will improve the way nutrition information is presented on labels. The proposed changes are to the format of the Nutrition Facts table, the list of ingredients, the list of nutrients that must appear in the table, and to … Read more
The Government of Canada finalized new plain language labelling regulations that will help improve the safe use of drugs by making drug labels and packaging information easier to read and understand, as promised in the 2013 Speech from the Throne. The Regulations Amending the Food and Drug Regulations (Labelling, Packaging and Brand Names of Drugs … Read more
Health Minister Rona Ambrose (Edmonton-Spruce Grove, Alta.) officially launched her new Advisory Panel on Healthcare Innovation. Ambrose named Dr. David Naylor to chair the panel, which is made up of prominent Canadians from across the country providing a range of perspectives and expertise. The other members are: Cy Frank, Neil Fraser, Francine Girard, Toby Jenkins, Jack … Read more
Health Canada published the first results from the Maternal-Infant Research on Environmental Chemicals (MIREC) Study that examined phthalate and Bisphenol A (BPA) exposure among pregnant Canadian women. The results of the study are significant. They provide much-needed information on the levels of phthalates and BPA present in one of our most susceptible subpopulations, pregnant women, as well as … Read more
Health Minister Rona Ambrose (Edmonton-Spruce Grove, Alta.) announced the government’s consultation on a proposal to regulate tamper-resistant properties for prescription drugs that are at a high risk of abuse, including controlled-release oxycodone. The announcement follows the government’s commitment in the 2013 Speech from the Throne to expand its National Anti-Drug Strategy (NADS) to address prescription drug … Read more
Canada is joining governments from around the world to highlight product safety and related issues during International Product Safety Week 2014, from June 16 to 20. This year’s theme is button battery safety. More information is available online. Call 613-957-0200.
Marijuana is not an approved drug or medicine in Canada and has not gone through the necessary rigorous scientific trials for efficacy or safety. Health Canada does not endorse the use of marijuana, but the courts have required reasonable access to a legal source of marijuana for medical purposes. The Government of Canada believes that this must … Read more
Health Minister Rona Ambrose (Edmonton-Spruce Grove, Alta.) released the What We Heard report on food labelling, which summarizes feedback from parents and consumers who participated in recent consultations to improve food labels. The full report is available online. Call 613-957-0200.
