The Canadian Natural Health Products (NHP) regulations: industry perceptions and compliance factors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The use of natural health products, such as vitamins, minerals, and herbs, by Canadians has been increasing with time. As a result of consumer concern about the quality of these products, the Canadian Department of Health created the...

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Main Authors: Boon Heather, Laeeque Hina, Kachan Natasha, Cohen Jillian, D'Cruz Joseph
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMC 2006-05-01
Series:BMC Health Services Research
Online Access:http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/6/63
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spelling doaj-49f137f2692d444a98f2a80f4525e81b2020-11-24T20:48:13ZengBMCBMC Health Services Research1472-69632006-05-01616310.1186/1472-6963-6-63The Canadian Natural Health Products (NHP) regulations: industry perceptions and compliance factorsBoon HeatherLaeeque HinaKachan NatashaCohen JillianD'Cruz Joseph<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The use of natural health products, such as vitamins, minerals, and herbs, by Canadians has been increasing with time. As a result of consumer concern about the quality of these products, the Canadian Department of Health created the Natural Health Products (NHP) Regulations. The new Canadian regulations raise questions about whether and how the NHP industry will be able to comply and what impact they will have on market structure. The objectives of this study were to explore who in the interview sample is complying with Canada's new NHP Regulations (i.e., submitted product licensing applications on time); and explore the factors that affect regulatory compliance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty key informant interviews were conducted with employees of the NHP industry. The structured interviews focused on the level of satisfaction with the Regulations and perceptions of compliance and non-compliance. Interviews were tape recorded and then transcribed verbatim. Data were independently coded, using qualitative content analysis. Team meetings were held after every three to four interviews to discuss emerging themes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The major finding of this study is that most (17 out of 20) companies interviewed were beginning to comply with the new regulatory regime. The factors that contribute to likelihood of regulatory compliance were: perceptions and knowledge of the regulations and business size.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Canadian case can be instructive for other countries seeking to implement regulatory standards for natural health products. An unintended consequence of the Canadian NHP regulations may be the exit of smaller firms, leading to industry consolidation.</p> http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/6/63
collection DOAJ
language English
format Article
sources DOAJ
author Boon Heather
Laeeque Hina
Kachan Natasha
Cohen Jillian
D'Cruz Joseph
spellingShingle Boon Heather
Laeeque Hina
Kachan Natasha
Cohen Jillian
D'Cruz Joseph
The Canadian Natural Health Products (NHP) regulations: industry perceptions and compliance factors
BMC Health Services Research
author_facet Boon Heather
Laeeque Hina
Kachan Natasha
Cohen Jillian
D'Cruz Joseph
author_sort Boon Heather
title The Canadian Natural Health Products (NHP) regulations: industry perceptions and compliance factors
title_short The Canadian Natural Health Products (NHP) regulations: industry perceptions and compliance factors
title_full The Canadian Natural Health Products (NHP) regulations: industry perceptions and compliance factors
title_fullStr The Canadian Natural Health Products (NHP) regulations: industry perceptions and compliance factors
title_full_unstemmed The Canadian Natural Health Products (NHP) regulations: industry perceptions and compliance factors
title_sort canadian natural health products (nhp) regulations: industry perceptions and compliance factors
publisher BMC
series BMC Health Services Research
issn 1472-6963
publishDate 2006-05-01
description <p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The use of natural health products, such as vitamins, minerals, and herbs, by Canadians has been increasing with time. As a result of consumer concern about the quality of these products, the Canadian Department of Health created the Natural Health Products (NHP) Regulations. The new Canadian regulations raise questions about whether and how the NHP industry will be able to comply and what impact they will have on market structure. The objectives of this study were to explore who in the interview sample is complying with Canada's new NHP Regulations (i.e., submitted product licensing applications on time); and explore the factors that affect regulatory compliance.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Twenty key informant interviews were conducted with employees of the NHP industry. The structured interviews focused on the level of satisfaction with the Regulations and perceptions of compliance and non-compliance. Interviews were tape recorded and then transcribed verbatim. Data were independently coded, using qualitative content analysis. Team meetings were held after every three to four interviews to discuss emerging themes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The major finding of this study is that most (17 out of 20) companies interviewed were beginning to comply with the new regulatory regime. The factors that contribute to likelihood of regulatory compliance were: perceptions and knowledge of the regulations and business size.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The Canadian case can be instructive for other countries seeking to implement regulatory standards for natural health products. An unintended consequence of the Canadian NHP regulations may be the exit of smaller firms, leading to industry consolidation.</p>
url http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/6/63
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