AAHSA was created in 2006 to work with the regulatory bodies of ASEAN to achieve harmonisation in health supplements across the region. Today AAHSA brings together seven national health supplement associations which work closely with their national authorities on legislation and collaborate together on regional issues.
AAHSA recognises that its role in the ASEAN harmonisation process is to provide access to its extensive regional and international scientific, technical expertise and to provide guidance on how any regulatory framework being developed will impact the market.
AAHSA is committed to regional harmonisation to help create a 'domestic market' with the scale to allow ASEAN companies to compete effectively in the global marketplace, and to make ASEAN an even more attractive location for companies to place their regional or global manufacturing and research and development facilities.
While AAHSA recognises the importance of harmonisation and the creation of the ASEAN Economic Community, it is also conscious that any regulatory framework must meet the following three criteria:
- It must be suitably clear, practical and workable to be implemented equally in all countries and applied by companies in the sector, both large and small
- It must rely on the best international science
- It must reflect the unique characteristics of health supplement products and seek to find specific regulatory solutions that ensure quality and safety without compromising consumer choice
AAHSA sees a very bright future for the health supplement sector in ASEAN with an increasing role in creating healthier communities.