IMM 32, 33, and 35: Introduction to Natural Health Products Flashcards
What is a natural health product (NHP)?
naturally occurring substances that are used to restore or maintain good health
- often made from plants, but can also be made from animals, microorganisms, and marine sources
What do natural health products include?
- herbal remedies (ie. echinacea, black cohosh)
- homeopathic medicines
- vitamins and minerals
- probiotics
- plant isolates (ie. soy isoflavones)
- essential fatty acids (e.g. omega-3)
- amino acids
- traditional medicines (ie. traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurvedic medicine)
What do natural health products exclude?
substances in:
- Schedule C (radiopharmaceuticals)
- Schedule D – biologics (but homeopathics and probiotics are NHPs)
- Tobacco Act
- Controlled Drugs Act Schedules I-V (ie. morphine)
- cannabis
What are the types of complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs)?
- natural products
- mind and body medicine
- whole medical systems
Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs)
What are natural products?
dietary supplements
Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs)
What are some examples of mind and body medicine?
- meditation
- yoga
- acupuncture (traditional Chinese medicine)
- hypnotherapy
- qi gong
Complementary and Alternative Medicines (CAMs)
What are whole medical systems?
embody beliefs, values, and assumptions that may differ from conventional medicine
- Ayurvedic medicine
- traditional Chinese medicine
- naturopathy
Describe the deep-rooted history of NHPs.
- ~35% of medicines originated from natural products (ie. many drugs derived from plants)
Are herbs drugs?
regulated as a subset of “drugs” at the level of the Food and Drugs Act
What is a drug?
substance that brings about a biological change in our body
- plants contain chemicals/constituents that can do this
Where can NHPs also be found?
- pharmaceuticals
- food
- cosmetics
How are NHPs regulated?
under the Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate
- mission is to ensure that all Canadians have ready access to natural health products that are safe, effective, and of high quality, while respecting freedom of choice and philosophical and cultural diversity
Describe the regulatory compromise of NHPs.
- these regulations have implemented quality and safety standards for manufacturers, while significantly relaxing the standards for product efficacy claims
- if RCTs aren’t conducted, manufacturers can make claims based on “traditional uses” and other sources that are essentially anecdotal in nature
How do NHPs get regulated?
manufacturer must apply to the Health Product Directorate for a license
- must provide intended use and evidence of product safety and effectiveness for that use – can use pre-approved monographs (already approved for dosage forms, dose, uses and warnings) OR if departing from the monograph, must provide additional scientific evidence
- alternatively, if a product has a documented history of use beyond 50 years, than this traditional use can be an acceptable level of evidence of safety and effectiveness – so the claim a manufacture makes drives the evidence required
What are the two types of claims?
- modern
- traditional
What is a modern claim?
- sources of evidence: clinical studies, animal, and in vitro studies
- safety assessment: considers adverse effects from marketing data and seriousness of the condition
What is a traditional claim?
labelled as ‘traditionally used as…’
- sources of evidence: one reference from a pharmacopoeia OR 2 references from reputable sources (one may be expert opinion)
- used for 50 or more years
- safety assessment: must have 50 or more years of safe use
What happens once a product is approved?
- natural product number (NPN) on label
- if it is a homeopathic product, will have DIN-HM
- product is entered into the Licensed Natural Health Products Database
What are some possible amendments to the current regulations?
- propose to bring non-Rx drugs, NHPs, and cosmetics under one set of rules and regulate based on health risks (low, medium or high) – high will need to be based on scientific evidence, consumers will know that products making the same health claim were held to the same standard
- create consistent ‘post-market powers’
- improve product labeling to make information more clear and consistent with non-Rx drugs – want to reduce risk of harm to consumer
Describe people who use NHPs.
- rate health as good to excellent
- higher income range, university educated
Why do Canadians believe NHPs are safe?
- better than chemical products or drugs
- made from natural ingredients
- for sale
- free of side-effects and safer than a prescription
Why do people use NHPs?
- align better with their values and beliefs
- take them for prevention – to help maintain and promote health, to prevent illness and build immune system
- take them for treatment – to treat symptoms of a specific disease or illness, to treat a chronic condition for which there is no cure (offers some hope)
What are pharmacists professional obligation with respect to NHPs?
- detect and prevent NHP interactions (drugs/other NHPs/conditions)
- provide unbiased, evidence-based information to patients
- help patients make informed decisions
What does Health Canada say about NHPs?
regulated as a subset of drugs
What does the College of Pharmacists say about NHPs?
if you sell these products, you must be knowledgeable about them
Why is critical evaluation important?
- product claims can be general, misleading, and/or not backed by good scientific evidence
- sensational testimonials
- these products are readily accessible to patients, and you are often at ‘point of sale’ and can help patients navigate these claims
What is the framework for thinking critically about NHPs?
- assess issues/problems (NECESSARY) – NHP necessary/appropriate, expectations/knowledge of patient
- analyze – evidence for efficacy (NHP, other options), safety, adherence, benefits vs. risks
- advise and recommend NHP (if appropriate)
Many people seek treatment with NHPs for what chronic conditions?
- depression/anxiety
- dementia/memory loss
- osteoarthritis
- diabetes
- hypertension
Why is it good to ask patients about what they heard about an NHP and what their expectations are?
will help uncover beliefs, expectations, and misinformation, creating an opportunity for you to provide them with accurate evidence
What does NatMed have to say about the effectiveness of ginkgo for age-related cognitive decline?
possibly ineffective
What are the research challenges that come with studying the effectiveness of botanicals?
- variations between botanicals
- pooling of data
- small sample sizes
- difficulty with blinding
- inadequate financial resources of NHP manufacturers (compared to big pharma)
- cannot patent a plant – only a dosage form
Research Challenges
Variations Between Botanicals
- part of plant used (leaf, flower, root, rhizome) – huge biochemical variability
- time of harvest/growing conditions
- active constituent levels
- type of extraction solvent used (aqueous, alcoholic, glycerin)
- delivery form (solid, extract, raw herb, tea, etc.)
Research Challenges
Pooling of Data
example: effect of garlic on blood pressure
- conclusion: meta-analysis suggests that garlic preparations are superior to placebo in reducing blood pressure in individuals with hypertension
- 3 different forms of garlic
Research Challenges
Small Sample Sizes
many clinical trials are too small (or underpowered), reducing the chance of finding a true treatment effect
- ineffective vs. lack of statistical power
- is absence of evidence = evidence of absence
Research Challenges
Difficulty with Blinding
due to the distinct ‘odour’ of some herbal
preparations, patients in a clinical study may
be able to tell if they are getting treatment or
placebo
- did investigators say the products were indistinguishable
- ie. pungent herbs: valerian and garlic
What does the NHP label tell you? (4)
- latin name of herb (genus and species)
- dosage form
- what the product is standardized to
- strength (potency) of the product, which can be represented in different ways
What are some liquid dosage forms of NHPs? (3)
- plant juices
- extracts
- tinctures
What are some solid (tablets, capsule) dosage forms of NHPs? (2)
- raw powdered herb
- powdered extract
What are plant juices?
freshly harvested plants are pressed to release their juice
What is the advantage of plant juices?
‘entire’ part of plant used with nothing ‘left behind’