Free Regulatory Update Webinar: Tuesday, December 6th at 1 PM ET with Special Guest Michael McGuffin, President AHPA

November 24, 2011 By

dicentra is pleased to announce our upcoming free Regulatory Update Webinar on Tuesday, December 6th at 1:00 pm ET. This is our fourth webinar of 2011 and you won’t want to miss it. You are invited to join hundreds of companies already tuning in. This is a great way for your company to stay informed and avoid challenging surprises down the road.

At dicentra we’re committed to keeping our clients and the industry connected and informed. This quarter’s webinar will include the latest updates and changes in the Canadian regulatory environment as they pertain to the Natural Health Products industry. We are also pleased to have a U.S. regulatory update by Michael McGuffin, President of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA).

For more details about the presentation, topics and speakers please continue to read below.

To register for the webinar please click on the following link:

https://www.livemeeting.com/lrs/8000055450/Registration.aspx?pageName=g137pdgmnb586vrs

You will receive a confirmation email and a link to join the meeting. You can register and join the meeting at any point. It all takes only a few minutes.

When you join the meeting you can either use your computer speakers or dial into the teleconference to hear the audio.

Please visit www.dicentra.com for weekly regulatory and scientific articles, special alerts and updates.

PRESENTATION TOPICS AND SPEAKERS

Canadian Update:

Anne Wilkie, Senior Regulatory Strategy & Policy Advisor at dicentra, will present on the following topics:

  • Status of Unprocessed Product Licence Applications (UPLAR)
  • NHP Compliance and Enforcement Policy
  • Status of Applications
  • Products Currently “On Hold”
  • Consultations and Regulatory Initiatives
  • Food Initiatives
  • Global Regulatory Issues

Anne Wilkie is the former Vice President and Head of Regulatory Affairs for the Canadian Health Food Association. She has also held positions with Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. As the Senior Regulatory Strategy & Policy Advisor at dicentra Anne helps our clients develop appropriate regulatory strategies and regularly communicates directly with Health Canada to solve our clients’ most challenging product registrations. She also leads food product projects, reviews advertising and promotional material for compliance, communicates directly with the Inspectorate to resolve border issues, and facilitates our free regulatory update webinars.

U.S. Update:

Michael McGuffin, President of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA), will present an update on an important U.S. regulatory issue, California`s Proposition 65. His talk will cover:

A basic background on Proposition 65 and how it affects supplement companies that do business in California

  • An analysis of Proposition 65 complaints, lawsuits, and settlements against supplement companies under this law
  • A presentation of the options for reducing the risk of encountering a Proposition 65 complaint

Consumer goods sold in the State of California are, with certain exceptions, subject to that State’s Proposition 65, the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986.The regulations that have been implemented in the years since the Proposition was passed place specific labeling requirements on products sold in the State of California if the product contains chemicals listed by the State as carcinogens or reproductive toxicants. Failure to provide such warnings can result in action by the California Attorney General or by “any person in the public interest.”

AHPA President Michael McGuffin is a recognized expert on Proposition 65, and AHPA has been actively involved in issues related to the law for many years. Currently, McGuffin serves on a workgroup California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) formed to assist in the development of regulatory language intended to help businesses provide necessary warning for exposures to Proposition 65 listed chemicals in food.

Michael McGuffin was honoured in 2010 for over 20 years of dedicated service, having served as the President of the American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) since 1999 and a member of the Board of Trustee’s for 10 years prior. He has been active in the herbal industry since 1974, having owned both retail and manufacturing businesses in this field.

A leading expert on dietary supplement regulations, Mr. McGuffin has been published in scholarly and scientific journals, including the Food and Drug Law Journal and Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics, and also wrote the highly-lauded publication AHPA’s Annotated Final Rule on Dietary Supplement cGMP (2007). Additionally, Mr. McGuffin served as Managing Editor of AHPA’s Botanical Safety Handbook (1997) and Herbs of Commerce, 2nd edition (2000). He speaks frequently on dietary supplement regulations in the U.S. and abroad.

Mr. McGuffin has represented the herbal industry at state and federal hearings on herbal regulatory issues and served as a member on several FDA Food Advisory Committees. He also serves on the boards of the American Herbal Pharmacopoeia, the American Association of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine, and United Plant Savers. Mr. McGuffin was awarded the Cliff Adler “Heart in Business” award in 1994 and the Nutrition Business Journal Award for Efforts on Behalf of Industry in 2004. Mr. McGuffin has been quoted in a variety of news publications such as the New York Times, the Washington Post, U.S. News & World Report and Newsweek and has made appearances on ABC’s Nightline, National Public Radio, and ABC Radio.

American Herbal Products Association (AHPA)

Founded in 1982, AHPA is the oldest of the non-profit organizations that specializes in service to the herbal industry. It is the voice of the herbal products industry and the recognized leader in representing the botanical trade. With more than 280 members, AHPA’s membership represents the finest growers, processors, manufacturers and marketers of botanical and herbal products.

The American Herbal Products Association (AHPA) is the only national trade association that is focused primarily on herbs and botanicals and herbal products. All of AHPA’s activities are focused on its mission, which is to promote the responsible commerce of herbal products, and are undertaken to maintain and improve market opportunities for companies that sell herbs, herbal and botanical products, and other health-related products, including foods, beverages, and personal care products, and to ensure that consumers continue to enjoy informed access to a wide choice of goods. For more information please visit www.ahpa.org.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any comments or questions.
Sincerely,

Peter Wojewnik
dicentra Inc.