Treating herbal products as medicines in Spain

The latest issue of Functional Foods & Nutraceuticals e-newsletter is out. In it, we learn that Spanish authorities treat herbal products as medicines. They require such products to be withdrawn from the market and to obtain medicinal marketing authorizations.

In contrast to this, the European Commission considers that the absence of adequate procedures to assess the risk to public health that such products allegedly pose is an unjustified barrier to trade.

As a result of complaints from companies that want to market herbals in Spain, the European Commission is pursuing infringement procedures against Spain for hampering the free movement of goods in the market.

6/29/06 21:22 JR