The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has formed a technical working group (TWG) aimed at enhancing its regulatory oversight of traditional medicines and health supplements.
The new task force, known as “Taskforce Thomson,” will be responsible for crafting policies and regulations in line with existing laws, rules, and regulations to ensure the safety, efficacy, and quality of these products.
Taskforce Thomson will focus on two major initiatives. First, it will develop an Administrative Order for the registration of health supplements under the Center for Food Regulation and Research (CFRR). Second, it will formulate an FDA Circular for the registration of traditional medicines under the Center for Drug Regulation and Research (CDRR).
These efforts aim to standardize and streamline the registration processes for these categories of products.
The task force is named after Samuel Thomson, a 19th-century American herbalist and botanist who founded “Thomsonian” medicine, a popular alternative medicine system in the United States at the time.
This reference underscores the FDA’s focus on regulating products that have roots in traditional and alternative medicine practices.
Through Taskforce Thomson, the FDA seeks to provide clear guidelines for manufacturers, ensuring that only safe and effective traditional medicines and health supplements reach the market.
The agency aims to create a simplified regulatory framework that balances consumer protection with industry growth. By fostering innovation and investment within the sector, the FDA hopes to boost consumer confidence in these products.
In a statement, the FDA emphasized that these actions reaffirm its commitment to public health by ensuring that healthcare products available to Filipinos are both safe and effective.
The enhanced oversight will not only protect consumers but also promote greater accessibility to high-quality traditional medicines and health supplements across the country.