Health Canada announces The Drug and Health Product Register

pharmaceuticals

People can now find practical information such as what a drug is used for, safety warnings and common and reported side effects on The Drug and Health Product Register, (DHPR) an online database created and managed by Health Canada. To find information about drug products, the user can search by brand name, active ingredient and drug identification number (DIN).

Health Canada said that information on approximately 100 commonly used medications is already accessible, and that its aim in the coming months is to have a list of 3,000 prescribed and over-the-counter medications to be listed in the database. Additionally, future expansions of DHPR content could include regulated medical devices and natural health products. The first release of the DHPR in winter 2015 will enable Canadians to test the system and provide their feedback, helping Health Canada to improve DHPR function and capacity.

Currently, some of the information available through DHPR includes what a medication is used for, what it does, when it should not be used, what the medical and non-medical ingredients are, and warnings and precautions. Other information includes what dosage the medication comes in, interactions with this medication that may be harmful, advice on proper and safe use, how to store the medication, what serious side effects are and what to do about them. Ultimately, the goal of the DHPR is to make information about medications easy to find and understand, enabling Canadians to make better and more informed decisions about their health.

Click here to learn more about DHPR

Click here to read Be Safe with over-the- counter medications

February 20, 2015