Licensed Natural Health Products Database (LNHPD) - User Guide

March 2017 - Version 1.1

The following document provides guidance to individuals wishing to search for licensed natural health products using the Licensed Natural Health Products Database (LNHPD).

Users should note that the LNHPD will only search for products that have been issued a Product Licence (NPN or DIN-HM) by Health Canada’s Natural and Non-prescription Health Products Directorate (NNHPD).  Products or sites that are under review for a licence are not included in the LNHPD.  Therefore, users cannot use this database to learn the status or progress of a product or site licence application.

Applicants wishing to inquire about the status of their product and/or site licence application are encouraged to contact their Submission Coordinator directly or contact the NNHPD with their submission number.

Table of Content

Screenshot of the LNHPD

Screenshot of the LNHPD Search Page

Search Fields

The LNHPD allows you to query by the following search fields:

  • Current Status
  • Product Name;
  • Licence Holder Name;
  • Ingredient Name;
  • Medicinal Ingredient Name;
  • Non-medicinal Ingredient  Name;
  • Dosage Form;
  • Recommended Use or Purpose;
  • The NPN or DIN-HM;
  • The date of licensing, and
  • The revised date of licensing.

Current Status

The Current Status field permits you to filter all search results by their current licencing status.  The default selection is All, meaning that any search carried out using either Simple or Advanced searches will includes products of every available status.

Operator

Search results are also modified by an operator in conjunction with the search field selected.  Operators include: Contains, Begins with, Exactly Equals and Does Not Contain.

How to Perform a Search

Two types of searches can be performed in the LNHPD: The Simple Search and the Advanced Search.  

Simple Search

When performing a simple search, select one of the search fields from the available list, then select an operator from the available list. Lastly, type in the value you wish to search for in the criteria field.  Note – The Criteria Field is NOT case sensitive.

E.g.

Search Field = "Product Name"
Operator = "Contains"
Criteria = "Garlic"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search for all licensed products with the term "Garlic" in the product name/brand name.

After entering the criteria, click Search. The LNHPD will return all products that meet the search criteria. For more on search results, please refer to the Search Results section of this guide.

Advanced Search

To make your search more specific by using more than one search field at a time, click the Advanced Search link.  This will allow you to search by a maximum of six search fields at once.  Repeat the above process to enter the desired search parameters. In addition, select “And” or “Or” (after the criteria is entered) in order to link the criteria.

E.g.

(Line 1) Search Field = "Product Name"
Operator = "Contains"
Criteria = "Garlic"

"AND"

(Line 2) Search Field = "Dosage Form"
Operator = "Exactly Equals"
Criteria = "Tablet"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search for all licensed products with the term “Garlic” in the product name/brand name and that are in tablet form.

If you wish to return to the simple search mode, click the Simple Search link.  If you wish to clear the values you have entered, click the Reset button.  If at any time you wish to start a new search, click the New Search link located at the very top of the page.

Search by Product Name

To perform a search by product name, use the search field Product Name.  Select the appropriate operator based on the information you have and type in the name or partial name into the criteria field.  If your search returns no matches, try broadening your search by using the operator “contains” or “begins with”.

E.g.

Search Field = "Product Name"
Operator = "Exactly Equals"
Criteria = "Super Garlic Extract"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search specifically for a licensed product named "Super Garlic Extract."

Or to broaden the search:

Search Field = "Product Name"
Operator = "Contains"
Criteria = "Garlic"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search for all licensed products with the term “garlic” in the product name/brand name.

Search by Licence Holder Name

To perform a search by licence holder name, use the search field Licence Holder Name. Select the appropriate operator based on the information you have and type in the name or partial name into the criteria field.  If your search returns no matches, try broadening your search by using the operator “contains” or “begins with”.

E.g.

Search Field = "Licence Holder Name"
Operator = "Exactly Equals"
Criteria = "Natural Health Product Company"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search for licensed products belonging specifically to "Natural Health Product Company."

Or to broaden the search:

Search Field = "Licence Holder Name"
Operator = "Contains"
Criteria = "Natural"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search for all licence holders with the term “Natural” in their name.

Search by Ingredient

To perform a search by ingredient as either a medicinal ingredient or non-medicinal ingredient, use the search field Ingredient Name. If you wish to search for an ingredient as a medicinal ingredient only, use the search field Medicinal Ingredient Name. If you wish to search for an ingredient as a non-medicinal ingredient only, use the search field Non-Medicinal Ingredient Name.

Important Note - Ingredients can be captured under more than one name, as there may be many synonyms for each ingredient name (For example, Glucosamine is also known as 2-amino-2-deoxy-beta-D-glucopyranose).  In order to get a complete listing of all products with a specific ingredient, more than one search (one for each synonym) should be performed.

E.g. To find out the total number of licensed natural health products containing “garlic” as an ingredient, perform a separate ingredient search for each of garlic’s known synonyms: Allium sativum, Allium sativum L. Alliaceae and Liliaceae.

Search by Dosage Form

To perform a search by dosage form, use the search field Dosage Form. Select the appropriate operator based on the information you have and type in the dosage form name or part of the dosage form name into the criteria field.  If your search returns no matches, try broadening your search by using the operator “contains” or “begins with”.

E.g.

Search Field = "Dosage Form"
Operator = "Exactly Equals"
Criteria = "Vegicap"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search for all licensed products in a vegicap dosage form.

Or to broaden the search:

Search Field = "Dosage Form"
Operator = "Contains"
Criteria = "Cap"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search for all licensed products in a cap dosage form, such as vegicaps and capsules.

Search by Recommended Use or Purpose

To perform a search for the recommended use or purpose of a product (i.e. by health claim or indication), use the search field Recommended Use or Purpose.Note – for this type of search, it is best to use “contains” in the operator field, as this will search for a keyword contained within the text of the recommended use or purpose. Enter only one keyword at a time into the criteria field. If you wish to search for more than one keyword at once, use the Advanced Search (refer to the How to Perform a Search section of this guide for instructions on performing an advanced search).

E.g.

Search Field = "Recommended Use or Purpose"
Operator = "Contains"
Criteria = "Colds"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search for all licensed products with the term "colds" in their recommended use or purpose.

To perform a search for more than one word (e.g. colds and flus), using the Advanced Search, enter:

E.g.

(Line 1) Search Field = "Recommended Use or Purpose"
Operator = "Contains"
Criteria = "Colds"

"AND"

(Line 2) Search Field = "Recommended Use or Purpose"
Operator = "Contains"
Criteria = "Flus"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search for all licensed products with the terms "colds" and "flus" in their recommended use or purpose.

Search by Natural Product Number (NPN) or Homeopathic Medicine Number (DIN-HM)

To perform a search by NPN or DIN-HM, ensure that it is an 8-digit number you are entering in the criteria field. If only part of the NPN or DIN-HM is known, you can perform a partial search.

Note: When doing this type of search, enter only the number. Do not enter "NPN" or "DIN-HM" before the number in the criteria field.

E.g.

Search Field = "NPN/DIN-HM"
Operator = "Exactly Equals"
Criteria = "87654321"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search for the licensed product associated with this specific NPN or DIN-HM number.

Or to perform a partial NPN/DIN-HM search:

Search Field = "NPN/DIN-HM"
Operator = "Contains"
Criteria = "876"

Based on these criteria, the LNHPD will search for all licensed products with "876" as part of their eight-digit NPN or DIN-HM number.

Search by Date of Licensing or Revised Date of Licensing

If searching by the date of licensing, click in the corresponding drop down menu next to the Date of Licensing heading and select one of the following three operators:

" = " (Equals) Includes products licensed on the date.
"<=" (Less than) Includes products licensed up to, and including the date.
" > " (Greater than) Includes products licensed after the date.

Enter the search criteria into the corresponding Month and Year fields.

E.g.

To find out the number of natural health products licensed since June, 2006, using the Date of Licensing search:

Operator = ">"
(MM) = "06"
(YYYY) = "2006"

Search Results

The total number of results is displayed on every page. Each page will display 10 products. If more than 10 products match the search criteria, use the Next Page and Previous links to scroll through all the results.

The results will list the Product Licence Number (i.e. NPN or DIN-HM), the Product Brand Name, and the Licence Holder Name. Results will be ordered sequentially by the Product Licence Number. The Product Licence Number also serves as a link to additional information on that product. Click on the link to view more detailed product information, such as its approved recommended use or purpose, risk information, medicinal and non-medicinal ingredients and recommended dose.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

  1. Is the criteria field case sensitive?

    The Criteria Field is not case sensitive.

  2. In an Advanced Search, how many search fields can I use at once?

    In an Advanced Search, a maximum of six search fields can be used at once.

  3. If I search for an ingredient, will the LNHPD list all related/synonymous items?

    No, in order to get a complete listing of all products with a specific ingredient, more than one search (one for each synonym) should be performed.

  4. Can I search for a natural health product or homeopathic medicine with a partial NPN or DIN-HM?

    No, an 8-digit number is required in the Criteria Field; do not enter “NPN” or “DIN-HM” before the number in the Criteria Field.

  5. Does the operator “>” (greater than) include the month used in the search?

    No, the “>” (greater than) operator includes products licensed after the month used in the search; “<=” includes products licensed up to, and including the month used in the search.

  6. What does it mean if a product status is listed as discontinued?

    If a product status is listed as discontinued, the licensee has voluntarily withdrawn the product from sale and relinquished its NPN (the NPN is no longer valid).  This status may also apply to products which have been transferred to another Regulatory Framework; for example, a natural health product becoming a food.

  7. What does it mean if a product status is listed as stop sale?

    If a product status is listed as stop sale, Health Canada has taken action to make the product no longer available at the wholesale level. The NPN remains valid, and the product may still be available at retail while stock is exhausted.

  8. What do I do if I see a product under stop sale on a retail shelf?

    Products that have been issued a stop sale can still legally be sold on retail shelves; however, they cannot be further distributed at the wholesale level.

  9. What does it mean if a product status is listed as suspended?

    If a product status is listed as suspended, Health Canada has taken action to make a product no longer available via retail or at wholesale.

  10. What does it mean if a product status is listed as cancelled?

    If a product status is listed as cancelled, Health Canada has taken action to revoke the NPN, and the product should no longer be available for sale at the retail or the wholesale level.

  11. What do I do if I see a suspended or cancelled product available on retail shelves?

    If you see a suspended or cancelled product available for sale via retail or at wholesale, complaints can be submitted to the Health Product Compliance Directorate (previously known as the Inspectorate) via the online complaint form at: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/dhp-mps/compli-conform/prob-report-rapport/frm-0317-eng.php

Further Guidance

If you have questions on the use of the LNHPD which are not answered by this user guide, or if you are experiencing any technical problems and would like to report them, please contact the Natural Health Products Directorate (NHPD).

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