Food and Drug Act

The Food and Drugs Act (formal title "An Act respecting food, drugs, cosmetics and therapeutic devices") is an act of the Parliament of Canada regarding the production, import, export, transport across provinces and sale of food, drugs, contraceptive devices and cosmetics (including personal cleaning products such as soap and toothpaste). It was first passed in 1920 and most recently revised in 1985. It attempts to ensure that these products are safe, that their ingredients are disclosed and that drugs are effective and are not sold as food or cosmetics. It also states that cures for disease listed in Schedule A (including cancer, obesity, anxiety, asthma, depression, appendicitis, and sexually transmitted diseases), cannot be advertised to the general public.

After the launch of the Federal Department of Health in 1919, the Food and Drugs Act was later presented in late 1920. Rules and regulations developed under the act established the requirements needed for licensing and creating drugs in Canada. The law granted the Minister of Health the right to cancel or suspend licenses for companies failing to comply with the requirements.

The Food and Drugs Act was not significantly modified until 1947, in which the foundations were laid out for the current market today. During 1951, drug manufacturers were required to submit a file for each new drug prior to marketing their product. However during the early 1960s, the drug thalidomide surfaced into the market, which caused severe birth defects along with resulting in thousands of infant deaths.

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