EAS Strategic Advice 2010

BRUSSELS, BelgiumEAS Strategic Advice kicked off 2010 with a workshop on Friday, Jan. 15 at the Singapore Management University. Companies from across Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore attended the full-day workshop focused on the positioning of borderline health supplement products. Four senior EAS experts covered a wide range of topics pertaining to regulatory and scientific support for health supplements in Asian and European markets.

Patrick Coppens, EAS expert on European food law, presented a comprehensive session on the classification of health supplements and medicines from European and U.S. perspectives. He demonstrated the main determining factor to differentiate supplements from medicinal products is the intended use of the product as illustrated by its health claims. In addition, various other factors, including presentation, form, product composition and marketing messages are taken into account by the authorities in the classification of a product. It was followed by a discussion on the classification fate of new bioactive ingredients, belonging to the food or medicine category.

The distinction between a health supplement and a medicinal product is usually not made based on the form (e.g. tablet or powder) and composition; the predominant basis of this decision is the intended use, said Coppens.

Additionally, Wai Mun Poon, EAS expert on Asian health supplement regulations, talked about the classification of botanical health supplements; Pieter Lagae, EAS regulatory advisor, took the audience through key concepts and the application procedures of the European Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation; and Dr. Daniel Tsi, regional director of EAS Asia, explained the process and criteria for scientific substantiation of health claims.