Veterinary Health Products

In Canada, pet supplements are regulated under the Veterinary Health Product (VHP) framework, which is overseen by the Veterinary Drug Directorate (VDD) of Health Canada.  VHPs are used to maintain or promote the health of companion and food-producing animals and contain typical nutraceutical ingredients like vitamins and minerals.  Although considered low-risk drugs, VHPs cannot be used to treat, prevent, or cure disease.  Similar to other regulated categories in Canada, VHPs are subject to Natural Health Product (NHP) Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs), pre-market notification, and labelling requirements.  Upon review and acceptance, VHPs are issued a unique identifier or Notification Number (NN) by the VDD, which must appear on the front of pack. SGS Nutrasource’s regulatory experts can help navigate each of the VHP prerequisites, including:

  1. Formula review against List C: Veterinary Health Productsa and the List of Permitted Substancesa for acceptability.
    •  a These lists are databases of permitted actives, inactives, homeopathic, and traditional medicine substances that are used to make VHPs.
  2. Claims Matrix preparation or review, including a scientific literature search in support of ingredient/product safety and efficacy, if applicable.
  3. Ingredient addition to List C: Veterinary Health Products and the List of Permitted Substances.
  4. GMP compliance check.
  5. VHP Notification, including application submission, liaison with the VDD, and post-market amendments.
  6. Label review, including mandated and proposed collateral text against the Food and Drug Regulations for compliance and provision of French translation.

SGS Nutrasource’s regulatory team is well-versed in this category and has worked on a broad range of health indications ranging from immunity to mobility to relaxation.  Contact us today to learn how SGS Nutrasource can collaborate with you to achieve Canadian market access and commercialization across North America – from collar to claim.