Summary
Products: Hand sanitizers, disinfectants, personal protective equipment (such as masks and gowns) and swabs.
Issue: Health Canada is expediting access to supplies of these products to help limit the spread of COVID-19.
What to do: Check this web page regularly for updated information on new supplies being made available in Canada.
In light of the unprecedented demand and urgent need for products that can help limit the spread of COVID-19—including hand sanitizers, disinfectants and personal protective equipment (such as masks and gowns)—as well as swabs, Health Canada is facilitating access to products that may not fully meet current regulatory requirements, as an interim measure.
In Canada, disinfectants are classified as non-prescription drugs. Hand sanitizers are classified as natural health products (NHPs) or non-prescription drugs, depending on the ingredients. Class I personal protective equipment (such as masks and gowns) and swabs are regulated as medical devices in Canada.
While these products are typically subject to regulatory requirements, such as licensing and bilingual labelling, Health Canada will allow certain products to be sold in Canada under this interim measure, including:
products that are already authorized for sale in Canada but are not fully compliant with Health Canada requirements (e.g., English-only labelling, different packaging from what was authorized); and
products that are not authorized for sale in Canada, but are authorized or registered in other jurisdictions with similar regulatory frameworks and quality assurances.
Additional information is available at the following link.