Correction: Natural Health Products Counts

Summary#

This is an erratum published in the Canada Gazette on August 17, 2022 that corrects a factual sentence in the earlier publication of the Regulations Amending the Natural Health Products Regulations (originally published July 6, 2022). The corrected sentence changes the reported counts of adverse reactions linked to natural health products from 8,147 (serious) to over 8,000 total adverse reactions, of which over 5,000 were serious.

What it does#

• Replaces one sentence in the explanatory text (page 3145) of the previously published regulations. The original sentence said: "From the introduction of the NHPR in 2004 until December 2021, Health Canada has received reports of over 8,147 serious adverse reactions in which NHP use had a suspected role."
  It is replaced with: "From the introduction of the NHPR in 2004 until December 2021, Health Canada has received reports of over 8,000 adverse reactions in which NHP use had a suspected role, of which over 5,000 were serious."

Who's affected#

• People who read or cite the Canada Gazette text about the Natural Health Products Regulations.
• Consumers and safety researchers who rely on the published numbers about adverse reactions to natural health products.
• Officials or journalists who referenced the original figure 8,147 may need to update their records or reporting.

Why it matters#

• The correction changes how many adverse reactions are reported in the public record and shifts the emphasis from a single, precise "serious" count to a broader tally with a smaller serious subset.
• That affects how the safety of natural health products is portrayed and understood by the public, researchers, and media.
• The erratum updates the published text; the notice does not say whether underlying data or regulatory decisions have changed.