Does Health Canada
recommend the use of HCG products for weight loss
HCG (also
known as Human Chorionic Gonadotrophin) is used to treat women with
infertility. It is authorized in Canada, but only in the injectable form.
Contrary to the popular perception and online marketing gimmicks that the use
of HCG can promote weight loss, such claims are not backed by any scientific
evidence, whether it’s used as an injection or by mouth.
In fact, one
can suffer some serious side effects if HCG is used to treat weight loss and
other conditions which are not indicated. Some of the side effects associated
with inappropriate use of HCG include painful cysts which occur due to
over-stimulation of a woman’s varies.
Under Canada
Food and Drug Regulations, HCG is on Schedule F which consists of prescription
drugs. A drug can be legally sold in Canada only if it has an eight-digit DIN
(Drug Identification Number) on the label. Otherwise, it would be considered a
risk to human health and safety. The Health Canada is responsible for reviewing
and approving a given drug if it has the acceptable risk/benefit profile for
its intended use.
As much as
Health Canada has the mandate to regulate the sale of any prescription drugs in
Canada, it has no role on prescription or use of drugs. It is not uncommon for
medicines to be used off-label; using the medicine to treat conditions other
than the approved ones. In fact, it is allowed under the "practice of
medicine” for a physician to prescribe a given medicine off-label for
individual patients as long as he/she meets the regulatory requirements set by
the local colleges of physicians. But if an off-label prescription leads to any
health or safety problem, the Health Canada can assess the effect and take
appropriate regulatory actions against the concerned physician. Though this can
only happen if the issue is reported.
Are there
any adverse reaction reports to Health Canada about off-label use of hCG?
Within a
period of three years (from January 2008 to January 2011), only 4 adverse
reaction cases of human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG) were reported to Health
Canada. Of these 4 reports, 3 indicated that the HCG was being used to treat
women with infertility problems, while 1 was not specific on the condition
being treated.
Adverse
reaction reports will remain nothing but suspicions if there is no definite
causal association. To determine the cause-and-effect relationship, additional
scientific investigations must be done. This involves assessing various aspects
of causality, like the timing between the product use and the reaction, the
presence of underlying diseases, the contribution of other medications or
therapies, the medical history of the affected person, or other factors that
might have played a role in the development of the reported adverse reaction.
It goes without saying that the process of establishing the existence of a
given reaction or determining the risks of a given product should not be based
on previous case reports. This is because no one knows the exact number of
possible reactions or the number of people using the health product.
Is it
advisable to buy hCG online?
As mentioned
earlier, Human Chorionic Gonadotropin drugs that are legally sold in Canada
must have a Drug Identification Number on the label, which consists of an
eight-digit number followed by the word DIN. Any HCG product without this
marketing authorization label is considered to have serious health and safety
risks. For a HCG product to be authorized for sale in Canada, the Health Canada
must review it to determine if its risk/benefit profile is acceptable for the
conditions in question.
Therefore,
you can buy HCG product online as long as it meets the above conditions. This
does not mean that there are some dishonest Canadian-based sites out there
selling fake HCG products to unsuspecting Canadian consumers. If you fall a
victim to such scams, simply report the matter to the Health Canada. They will
get to the bottom of such complaints to ensure that any advertising adheres to
the market authorization requirements and that only HCG products authorized for
sale are available in the Canadian market. The provincial regulatory authority
is responsible for regulating the practice of pharmacy in Canada. So if you
want to find out whether a given pharmacy is licensed to operate in your
province, contact your local College of Pharmacy.
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