Natural Remedies and Supplements Take Blow in Canada, Brace for One in U.S.

NaturalNews) Canada's pharmacy regulation organization, The National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA), issued a directive in late January telling druggists to stop selling unlicensed natural remedies. This comes from a 5-year old program to regulate natural health goods. Meanwhile, in the United States, Senator John McCain, former presidential hopeful, has introduced a new bill into the Senate that would require all dietary supplements be regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

These come as a big blow to natural health, supplement production, and other consumers and businesses that produce, use, and rely on supplements and health remedies such as vitamins, minerals, and dietary aids.

NAPRA issued the ultimatum despite the fact that the Health Canada system is backlogged heavily in the approval process for dietary supplements. Makers of natural-health products are now bracing for widespread layoffs, millions in losses, and worse as their products are removed from drug store shelves throughout the Great White North.

The directive from NAPRA hinges on a 2004 regime set in place by Health Canada to regulate the natural health and remedies market. These products had been virtually unregulated before and are now suddenly pending approval by Health Canada, who allowed the products to continue sales provided they had applied for approval. HC found itself suddenly buried under tens of thousands of applications as everything from St. John's Wart to Kelp await approval as dietary supplements.

The pharmacy regulators, of course, aren't interested in this waiver and have asked their member pharmacies (virtually every drug store in Canada) to stop selling the products until they're approved.

Meanwhile, here in the United States, Senator John McCain has introduced the Dietary Supplement Safety Act of 2010 into the Senate. This bill gives the FDA authoritative control over dietary supplements and remedies in the same way it controls pharmaceuticals.

The bill claims this is to keep safety risks and hazards off the shelf to protect consumers. Anyone reading it can see that it's to allow Big Pharma more control over their natural competition in the vitamin, mineral, and supplement market.

As previously documented here in NaturalNews, the FDA does a stellar job of not only regulating the food and pharmaceutical industries, but also of keeping a balanced, unbiased view of all things. They don't raid Amish farms or ignore studies showing pharmaceuticals to be harmful. Right?

In the case of Canadian regulation of dietary supplements and remedies, it is obvious what happens when Big Pharma-controlled organizations get the ability to control their natural medicine competition. Now, in the United States, Senator John McCain of Arizona wants to make that the reality here too.

Here in the Land of the Free (to get injections) and Home of the Brave (few who refuse the needle), our ability to choose for ourselves what type of medical treatment we prefer is once again being threatened.