A group of New Zealand-based manufacturers say they are frustrated with the amount of “misinformation” circulating about the country’s Natural Health Products Bill. The companies claim that consumer and professional interests “being held to ransom by a small group of detractors”.
The new Bill is designed to regulate ‘low-risk’ natural health products sold and marketed directly to consumers. Its supporters say that it will provide both New Zealander’s – and its export markets – with a higher level of assurance that products are safe, approved, effective and contain what is stated on the label.
The Bill has been developed over many years as a lighter New Zealand-only regulatory model than the previously proposed ANZTPA (joint Australia New Zealand Therapeutic Products Act).
While the Bill has the support of large parts of the natural health industry it also has many vocal critics, particularly among health freedom groups. Industry body Natural Products NZ (NPNZ) argues that the Bill’s detractors are fighting against it because they “mistakenly believe that its regulations would prevent traditional and trained health practitioners from prescribing or making certain natural health products available”.
Now, a group of companies – including Vitaco, Go Healthy, New Zealand Health Manufacturing, Phytomed and Artemis (all NPNZ members) – have joined forces to vent their frustration at “the amount of misinformation” being circulated about the Bill.
Speaking on behalf of the group, NPNZ’s corporate affairs director Alison Quesnel, said: “The irony is that most of the Bill’s detractors are not health product manufacturers or exporters. Many aren’t even in the natural health product sector. We question why this group is holding such sway over the legislative process.
“The irony is that most of the Bill’s detractors are not health product manufacturers or exporters. We question why this group is holding such sway over the legislative process”
“Ongoing delays to the Bill’s passage are not serving any of us well and nor is it helping consumers or local manufacturers who only sell their products here and want to be able to talk more openly with their consumers about what their products can and will do for them.”
NPNZ points out that current law prevents natural health product companies from making therapeutic claims about either traditional evidence or successfully clinically trialled products, unless the product is licensed under the more expensive pharmaceutical medicine category. Under the new scheme companies will be able to make health benefit claims for their products, provided the claims are on the list of permitted claims for the condition and the ingredients in the product.
A survey in 2014 showed that the natural products industry makes an estimated NZ$1.4 billion per annum contribution to New Zealand’s economy (up from an estimated $1 billion five years ago). Around 85% of natural health product companies export and this is the primary area of growth for the industry.
“Aligning our regulations to be more like those of our major overseas markets will make it easier to sell New Zealand-made products there and could potentially even provide automatic barrier-free access into some countries,” says Ms Quesnel.
“This legislation can’t come soon enough.”
Visit Natural Products NZ’s information page (relating the New Zealand Natural Health Bill) at http://www.naturalproducts.nz/natural-health-products-bill-faq/