[MPWG] Traditional Medicines Congress Calls for Comments on “Ideal Regulatory Model”

[Zoe Gardner]

A copy of the press release and link to the full document are available at:
http://www.ahpa.org/update_05_1129.htm


Traditional Medicines Congress Calls for Comments on “Ideal Regulatory Model”

Nine national organizations working together as the Traditional Medicines (TM) 
Congress* have released the first public draft of “A Proposed Regulatory Model 
for Traditional Medicines: Guiding Assumptions and Key Components.” This 
comprehensive document presents ideas for a new model for the regulation of 
traditional medicines in the United States, and will now be subject to an open 
review process by interested individuals and organizations. 

The American Herbal Products Association joined with eight other organizations 
in the spring of 2004 to exchange ideas about the future of traditional 
medicines in the U.S. The result of these discussions was the formation of the 
TM Congress. In seeking to emphasize both the value of traditional medicines 
and the responsibilities that are associated with their use, it was agreed 
that: 

The goal of the Traditional Medicines Congress is to benefit public health by 
ensuring access to traditional medicines in a manner that provides a reasonable 
expectation of public safety.
“The current legal framework for dietary supplements provides significant 
options for consumer health care choices,” noted AHPA President Michael 
McGuffin. “And while some goods that have long been used as traditional 
medicines fit neatly into this framework, the therapeutic uses of these are 
restricted and many are entirely excluded. The model proposed here would 
completely protect the current law while developing a new option that will 
benefit marketers who want to sell traditional medicines and practitioners and 
consumers who want to use them,” he added.

Anyone with an interest in traditional medicines is now invited to review the 
draft document that the TM Congress has developed. A Proposed Regulatory Model 
for Traditional Medicines is posted online at 
http://www.ahpa.org/05_1129_TMCongress_ProposedModel.pdf. 

Comments may be emailed to TMCongressFeedback at pobox.com. The deadline for 
comments is March 31, 2006.

 
* The Traditional Medicines Congress is comprised of these organizations:

Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine Alliance (AOMA); 
American Association of Naturopathic Physicians (AANP); 
American Association of Oriental Medicine (AAOM); 
American Herbalist Guild (AHG); 
American Herbal Products Association (AHPA); 
Council of Colleges of Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine (CCAOM); 
Medicinal Herb Consortium (MHC); 
National Ayurvedic Medical Association (NAMA); and 
National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine 
(NCCAOM).