Medicines treat, cure or prevent illness. Foods provide nutrition. But are the distinctions so clear?
Foods also have a physiological effect and a role in disease risk reduction – and substances whose purpose is nutritional may be presented as medicines. An understanding of where the borderline lies between medicines and foods is essential for the successful marketing of specialist health products: getting it wrong is a costly route to market failure. However,the regulatory framework is detailed and complex, requiring a knowledge of the relevant legislation.
This seminar will highlight the most important regulatory issues, with particular focus on the borderline between botanical food supplements and herbal medicinal products, and on health claims and the long outstanding question of what the authorisation process for botanical claims will be.
