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  Join AHPA at the ASA Unity Conference

  December 6, 2022 AHPA is pleased to support the upcoming Americans for Safe Access (ASA) National Medical Cannabis Unity Conference as a Host Committee Sponsor. The annual event recently moved to a virtual format and will focus on highlighting past accomplishments, discussing current issues that remain, and looking forward to a future in which patients, no matter where they live or what condition they have, will have access to safe and affordable cannabis-based therapeutics. ASA was founded in 2002 to give voice to the needs of medical cannabis patients. Over the last 20 years, ASA has brought together patients, policy experts, public health experts, attorneys, lobbyists, scientists, industry associations, and medical professionals to create the campaigns, projects, and programs that have broken down political, social, academic, and legal barriers across the world.

  • Tuesday, December 6, 2022
  • | Posted by AHPA
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  AHPA requests Congress refrain from enacting MPL riders in lame duck

  December 1, 2022 In a letter to the leadership of the Senate and House of Representatives committees with oversight for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) has requested that Congress not include mandatory product listing (MPL) language in any must-pass appropriations legislation considered during the last weeks of the current 117th Congress. MPL as presented by its advocates would amend the Food Drug and Cosmetic Act (FD&CA) to require dietary supplement firms to list their products with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), a proposal that has been the subject of significant controversy during the current Congress.   AHPA's letter also cited a long history of regular order amendments to the FD&CA's provisions impacting dietary supplements. In addition, the letter suggested that any discussion of changes to federal laws regulating dietary supplements should occur as part of a transparent and stakeholder-inclusive process in the 118th Congress that will convene in January 2023.   “There are areas of the law governing dietary supplements that may benefit from a thoughtful review to ensure that Americans have ready and informed access to a wide range of safe dietary supplements,” said AHPA President Michael McGuffin. “Any statutory changes that are identified as needed to achieve this purpose should then be considered as a package, rather than with a sole focus on MPL, and the resulting legislative process should allow public involvement and discussion.”   AHPA will continue to advocate for commonsense reforms to dietary supplement laws, including greater consumer access to truthful information about dietary supplements and a more-equitable and transparent path to market for new dietary ingredients.

  • Thursday, December 1, 2022
  • | Posted by AHPA
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  New botanical species added to CITES Appendix II during CITES 19th Conference of the Parties Meeting

  November 30, 2022 The 19th meeting of the CITES Conference of the Parties (CoP19) recently met in Panama City, Panama, on November 14-25, 2022. Of interest to AHPA members are several agenda items related to botanical species that are used in dietary supplements and other natural products. Some of these proposals have resulted in new botanicals species being accepted for addition to CITES controls for international trade. A proposal to list all species of Rhodiola spp. in CITES Appendix II was accepted by the Parties. This listing will include annotation #2: “All parts and derivatives except: a) seeds and pollen; and b) finished products packaged and ready for retail trade.” This new listing will become effective in six months. In comments to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (the U.S. CITES representative) prior to the CoP19 meeting, AHPA requested that provisions be established for clearly identifying established cultivation operations for Rhodiola rosea as pre-Convention. All genera of the trees Handroanthus, Roseodendron and Tabebuia were proposed for listing in CITES Appendix II with annotation #17: “Logs, sawn wood, veneer sheets, plywood and transformed wood.” This proposal was accepted by the Parties, with a delayed implementation period of 24 months as requested by the State of Bolivia. In comments to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service prior to the CoP19 meeting, AHPA requested clarification as to whether the bark of these trees (which is used to produce pao d'arco) is included in the specimens defined in the annotation.  While not proposed for listing in the CITES Appendices at CoP19, a report on Boswellia spp. was on the CoP19 agenda, and was also discussed by the CITES Plants Committee at its meeting in June 2022. A new report on Boswellia spp. in international trade became available prior to the CoP19 meeting. The Parties adopted proposed draft decisions in which the Plants Committee and Parties will continue to collect information and evaluate whether some Boswellia species meet the criteria for CITES listing. AHPA has been working with several AHPA members involved in the international trade of Boswellia serrata materials, and is currently working on a sustainable harvest brochure for this species. The CITES Conference of the Parties occurs every 2-3 years for the purpose of allowing Parties to the CITES Convention to review the implementation of the Convention through the following activities: Consider (and where appropriate adopt) proposals to amend the lists of species in Appendices I and II; Review progress in the conservation of species included in the CITES Appendices; Consider discussion documents and reports from the Parties, the permanent committees, the Secretariat and working groups; Recommend measures to improve the effectiveness of the Convention; and Make provisions (including the adoption of a budget) necessary to allow the Secretariat to function effectively.   More information is available on the CITES website and in AHPA's Primer on Importing and Exporting CITES Listed Species.

  • Wednesday, November 30, 2022
  • | Posted by AHPA
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  IADSA Newsflash for November 2022

  November 29, 2022 AHPA is an active member of IADSA, an association focused on the globalization of food supplement markets and regulatory challenges. AHPA distributes the IADSA Newsflash as a member benefit. This issue covers:   China has proposed new rules for the evaluation of the function of health foods; China is proposing to add ginseng, American ginseng, and reishi into its “Health Food Raw Material Directory;” Exporters to India are being informed of new requirements for certain food categories related to registration and inspection of manufacturing facilities; Indonesia has released guidelines for health claims in accordance with ASEAN guidelines on claims and claims substantiation; Singapore is establishing a voluntary notification system for health supplements and traditional medicines; Vietnam has issued a draft regulation for contaminant limits in health supplements; The European Union (EU) General Court has nullified a European Commission decision to classify certain powder forms of titanium dioxide as carcinogens, but this does not impact its ban for use in food products; Belgium has issued a monograph addressing the use of the essential oil of Zingiber officinale; France has recommended against listing vitamin D3 as an endocrine disruptor in food products; France is scrutinizing the labeling of melatonin products as not providing adequate warnings for sensitive consumers; France is evaluating information about possible liver toxicity from turmeric products in which bioavailability has been enhanced with piperine and other ingredients; Germany has confirmed certain dry Ginkgo biloba extracts can be considered as medicines and not food supplements; Italy is prohibiting health claims and introduced new label warnings for turmeric products The United Kingdom conducted an evaluation of the potential effects of ginger intake on pregnancy and lactation; Canada issued new labeling requirements for natural health products that come into effects in three years; New Zealand has concluded that titanium dioxide does not represent a health concern in food products; Bolivia has issued its first ever draft regulations for food supplements based on established rules from several other countries; Chile, Guatemala, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan are considering updated regulations for food additives and food supplements.

  • Tuesday, November 29, 2022
  • | Posted by AHPA