The State Administration for Market Regulation ("SAMR") has recently issued the Administrative Measures for the Catalog of Ingredients and the Catalog of Healthcare Functions of Dietary Supplements (the "Measures") which will go into effect from October 1, 2019.
The Measures are comprised of 26 articles which are divided into four chapters, namely general provisions, administration by the catalog of ingredients of dietary supplements, administration by the catalog of healthcare functions of dietary supplements, and supplementary provisions. The Measures stress that any entity or individual may advise the evaluation agency to add an item to the catalog of ingredients or the catalog of healthcare functions of dietary supplements or adjust such catalog, after relevant research has been conducted. Meanwhile, the Measures provide that the SAMR may select the competent technical agencies to research and analyze the ingredients beyond the said catalog which are used to produce the dietary supplements that have been registered upon approval and look into their healthcare functions, depending on the registration of dietary supplements and the situations of supervision and administration, adding that if the ingredients beyond the catalog meet the requirements, the technical agencies shall put forward proposals in a timely manner for including the relevant items in the catalog of ingredients or the catalog of healthcare functions of dietary supplements or adjusting the catalog accordingly.