It is frequently observed that children are especially impacted by advertising, and special attention must be paid when marketing to them. Historically, with the exception of Quebec, which has prohibited virtually all forms of commercial advertising directed at children under the age of 13 since 1980, Canada did not specifically restrict advertising targeted at children. However, driven by growing concerns due to increases in obesity and chronic diseases, plans have now emerged to tackle these issues, including three recent developments enacted by the food and beverage industry, the federal Parliament, and Health Canada, respectively.
On 11 July 2023, Indonesia’s house of representative (known as Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Indonesia/DPR RI) approved the 2023 draft health law. A month later, the President enacted Law No. 17 of 2023 on Health (“Health Omnibus Law”) through the state secretariat. The Health Omnibus Law contains provisions on matters such as pharmaceutical preparations, medical devices, healthcare services, healthcare technology (including telehealth and telemedicine), R&D and other compulsory measures.
We are pleased to announce the launch of our new online content hub, the Product Risk Radar. The hub includes the latest important legal developments in product regulatory and liability risk impacting the UK and EU and we will post regular updates to help you navigate this increasingly challenging landscape. The areas covered include regulatory requirements, product liability and market surveillance and general product safety.
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued the Notification of the Ministry of Public Health Re: Prescribe Types of Cosmetics, Criteria, Methods and Conditions for Refill Stations, B.E. 2566 (2023) and the Cosmetic Committee Announcement Re: Labeling of Cosmetic at Refill Stations, B.E. 2566 (2023). Both notifications were published in the Government Gazette on 23 August 2023 and will become effective on 21 November 2023. These notifications are intended to be in line with the global Bio-Circular-Green Economy trend, which seeks to reduce plastic waste and promote the recycling of plastic.
The Ministry for Productive Agriculture and Lands issued Administrative Ruling INSAI No. 007/2023 (“Administrative Guidelines”) on 6 June 2023, establishing the rules that regulate the registry, supervision and control of agro-ecological or organic consumables which became effective on 8 August 2023 (i.e., date of its publication in the Official Gazette).
The Administrative Guidelines also regulate activities related to the manufacture, formulation, import, export, commercialization, distribution, packaging, storage, sale, transport, application, release, advertising, quality control and research of Products for agricultural, industrial, domestic, public health and livestock use in Venezuela.
On 21 August 2023, the decree by which the Influencers Advertising Guide of the Federal Consumer Protection Office (PROFECO) was published, which is a reference tool for content creators, influencers, and the general public for due compliance with the provisions on advertising established in the Federal Consumer Protection Law.
The recent proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, particularly generative AI tools, has brought these questions to the forefront of ongoing conversations about the role that AI will play in the marketplace. As an advocate for and enforcer of consumer protection laws, the US Federal Trade Commission recently offered reminders and recommendations for companies offering digital products and AI tools.
On 16 August 2023, the Health Sciences Authority issued two retail-level recalls for batches of Apo-Amitriptyline and Apo-Acyclovir tablets. The recalls were initiated after impurities at levels above acceptable standards were detected.
On 26 July 2023, the Ministry of Health launched the Industry Transformation Map (ITM) 2025 for healthcare. The ITM 2025 refreshes the ITM for healthcare, which was first launched in 2017.
ITM 2025 focuses on four main areas: (i) strengthening Singapore’s research and innovation ecosystem; (ii) strengthening digital system enablers; (iii) attracting and retaining healthcare workers; and (iv) strengthening partnerships.
In the first two parts of this series, we provided an overview of the new US Food and Drug Administration regulatory requirements under the Modernization of Cosmetics Regulation Act of 2022 and the good manufacturing practices regulations FDA plans to establish. In Part III, we will review the new FDA draft guidance on the facility registrations and products listings as mandated by MoCRA.