Ministry of Health of Trinidad and Tobago — Chemistry, Food and Drugs Division (Drug Inspectorate)
T&T Drug Inspectorate · Trinidad and Tobago · latin america
Trinidad and Tobago's Drug Inspectorate (Chemistry, Food and Drugs Division, Ministry of Health) — leech-specific regulatory pathway has not been independently verified by ASH; medicinal leeches fall under the general national medical device framework as appropriate.
Regulatory Profile
- Agency type
- national regulator
- Region
- latin america
- Country
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Leech status
- unregulated
- Last ASH review
- 2026-05-26
- Website
- https://health.gov.tt
Relevant Regulation Codes
- Trinidad and Tobago Food and Drugs Act, Chapter 30:01
- Trinidad and Tobago national medical device regulatory framework
Prescriber Requirements
- Medical Board of Trinidad and Tobago–registered physician — order required for any biomedical device application
- Allied health professional application under physician supervision per institutional protocol
Supply Chain & GMP
Ministry of Health registration as applicable; English-language labelling. Standard cold-chain conditions.
Import/Export Rules
Ministry of Health import authorisation; Animal Production and Health Division clearance for live invertebrates; CITES Appendix II paperwork for Hirudo medicinalis / verbana.
Reimbursement Context
Not covered under public insurance schemes for leech therapy specifically.
ASH Editorial Notes
Leech-specific pathway not independently verified by ASH; falls under general medical device / traditional medicine framework as appropriate. CARPHA (Caribbean Public Health Agency) and CARICOM harmonisation may affect device approvals; the exact mechanism has not been independently mapped by ASH. Region assigned as latin-america for coverage purposes pending Caribbean sub-region implementation.
Related Jurisdictions
ANVISA — Brazil
Brazil's national health-surveillance agency — leech therapy regulated as a medical device with parallel coverage under the SUS Practices Integrativas e Complementares (PICS) policy.
INVIMA — Colombia
Colombia's national medicines and devices surveillance agency — leech therapy regulated as a medical device under Decreto 4725/2005 with TM/CAM oversight by the Ministerio de Salud.
DIGEMID — Peru
Peru's medicines, supplies and drugs directorate — leech therapy supervised under Ley General de Salud and complementary-medicine framework, with DIRESA-level enforcement.
WHO — Global (United Nations specialised agency)
Global health authority — Hirudo medicinalis listed in the WHO Monographs on Selected Medicinal Plants (informational) and embedded in the Traditional Medicine Strategy 2014–2023 and 2025–2034 successor.