The  ASEAN Consultative Committee on Standards and Quality – Traditional Medicines and Health Supplements Product Working Group in collaboration with ASEAN – USAID Inclusive Growth in ASEAN through Innovation, Trade and E-Commerce and the ASEAN Secretariat organised a regional training on “ASEAN Guidelines on Claims and Claims Substantiation for Traditional Medicines and Health Supplements” in Manila, the Philippines on 23-25 September.

The training was designed to facilitate the sharing of best practices among ASEAN Member States while providing expert guidance on how to evaluate claims for traditional medicine and health supplement products.

In her opening remarks, Bryn Sakagawa, Director of Health Office-USAID Philippines, highlighted that traditional medicines and health supplements are a rapidly growing billion-dollar industry in the ASEAN region. However, regulating these products is a challenge as they fall outside the usual drug approval process that is applied to new medicines.

The three-day training served as a platform for regulators and industry across ASEAN to find a common ground and interpretation on the ASEAN guidelines. By establishing a common approach to regulating claims for these products across the ASEAN region, both industry and government will be able to ensure that all claims about the products’ benefits are grounded in fact and evidence. This will also allow consumers and practitioners to have relevant information of various traditional medicine and health supplements.