Company Urges Health Canada to Adopt Equitable
and Evidence-Based Regulations on Nicotine Replacement Therapies
(NRTs)
MONTREAL,
July 4,
2024 /CNW/ - Imperial Tobacco Canada Limited
("ITCAN") has officially submitted its feedback to Health Canada
regarding the proposed Ministerial Order on nicotine replacement
therapy products (NRTs). ITCAN strongly believes that NRTs,
especially innovative products like nicotine pouches, are pivotal
in achieving Health Canada's goal of reducing smoking rates to five
percent by 2035. ITCAN's submission emphasizes the need for fair
and scientifically grounded regulations that do not stifle
innovation or accessibility.
"We have said from the start that we are willing to work with
Health Canada and address any concerns they may have about ZONNIC,
Canada's first and only nicotine
pouch approved as a cessation product" said Eric Gagnon, Vice President Corporate and
Regulatory Affairs. "We have been in constant dialogue with Health
Canada for over two years and hope they will take our views into
consideration and we remain ready to meet the Minister and his
officials to discuss our feedback."
ITCAN identified six areas in its feedback:
- Uniform Application of Regulations: ITCAN insists that
any Ministerial Order must apply equally to all NRT formats. There
is no scientific justification for discriminating between different
NRT formats regarding public health risks. Singling out nicotine
pouches, for which ITCAN is the sole licensed distributor in
Canada, is unfair. ITCAN calls for
non-discriminatory regulations that foster innovation and
fairness.
- Age-Verification and Points-of-Sale: ITCAN supports
robust age-verification measures and the sale of NRTs from behind
retail counters to prevent underage access. This is already a
requirement we impose on retailers selling ZONNIC in addition to
implementing triple age-verification for online sales. However,
restricting NRT sales to pharmacies or requiring pharmacist
dispensation creates unnecessary barriers, hindering accessibility
and increasing work for pharmacists. Such measures overstep federal
jurisdiction and should be left to provincial legislation.
- Packaging and Labelling: Packaging and labelling
requirements should be determined during the Natural Health Product
application process, not through a Ministerial Order. ITCAN's
ZONNIC pouches, which underwent thorough scrutiny and approval by
Health Canada, should not be subject to sudden changes. The current
packaging poses no risk of attracting youth and altering it would
necessitate extensive research and testing.
- Flavour Profiles and Advertising: ITCAN argues that
flavour profiles and advertising restrictions should also be
managed during the license application process. Fruit flavours are
essential for smoker acceptance of NRTs, and existing laws already
prevent misleading advertising.
- Reasonable Implementation Timeline: Should any order be
imposed, ITCAN strongly urges Health Canada to adopt a reasonable
implementation period to allow manufacturers and retailers to
comply. An abrupt implementation would effectively suspend existing
licenses, causing market disruption and harm to public health
efforts.
- Enforcement Against the Illicit Market: ITCAN once again
highlighted the critical need for strict enforcement of any new
regulations. The current illicit market for unauthorized NRTs poses
significant public health risks, particularly for youth. Health
Canada should be taking concrete
action on illicit, not further regulating legal products that it
has already approved. Without proper enforcement combatting the
illicit market, stringent regulations will drive consumers –
including youth - towards potentially unsafe products, undermining
public health objectives.
Tucked away in the 2024 Budget Implementation Act is an
amendment that will allow the Minister of Health to overrule the
regulatory approval process for therapeutic products, which include
any drugs, medical devices and natural health products. This
unprecedented power grab takes a science and evidence-based
approval process for therapeutic products and taints it with
ideological considerations.
"To ensure the consultation process is meaningful rather than
just checkbox exercise, it is essential to engage impacted
stakeholders in accordance with the specific Ministerial Orders
proposal," said Mr. Gagnon. "We urge Health Canada to consider
these critical elements and adopt regulations that are fair,
evidence-based, science focused and enforceable," he concluded.
About Imperial Tobacco Canada
Imperial Tobacco Canada is Canada's leading tobacco and nicotine products
company and is part of the world's most international tobacco
group: BAT. BAT is a global multi-category consumer goods business,
operating in over 180 markets. At BAT, our purpose is to create A
Better Tomorrow™ by Building a Smokeless World.
Our vision is for A Smokeless World built on smokeless products
where, ultimately, cigarettes have become a thing of the past. A
world where smokers have migrated from cigarettes to smokeless
alternatives. A world where smokers make a Switch to Better.
SOURCE Imperial Tobacco Canada