Reglamentation of herbal products in Cuba

Abstract

In the last decade, there has been a global upsurge in the use of traditional and complementary medicine in both developed and developing countries. This is one of the main reasons for reinforcing the surveillance of the quality, safety and efficacy control of traditional medicine, complementary and alternative medicines. The objectives of this work are to show the function of traditional and complementary medicines in Cuba, the regulation for registering of herbal medicines and the Cuba international position in this subject. In Cuba, is recognized traditional and complementary medicine as a medical specialty and it has full access for people. On the other hand, the specific regulation for registering herbal medicines classifies herbal medicines in 2 main categories: New and known substances, specific requirements are demanded. The last part of the article, describes the Cuba position in different international network related with herbal medicines. In conclusion, Drug Regulatory Authorities should ensure the quality, safety and efficacy of traditional and complementary medicines.