TGA CM advertising debate

BOTH science and civil society organisations have continued to raise a storm over the passage through parliament the 2017 Measures No.1 Bill, according to an MJA Insight article.

The TGA had persuaded major parties that the bill with its creative ‘permitted indications’ inclusions such as “disinhibit water”, “stimulate stagnant Qi”, and “subdue yang”, was “noncontroversial’, wrote public health advocates Monash’s Ken Harvey, independent chair of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Complaint Resolution Panel Allan Asher and the Australian National University’s (ANU’s) John Braithwaite.

The bill has been widely lampooned in the broader media and blasted as “bizarre” and “not supported by scientific evidence” (PD 09 Feb 18).

Authors expressed the core concerns arising from the public forum on the matter conducted at ANU on 24 Jan, namely the abolition of pre-approval of advertisements for therapeutic products, the aforementioned permitted indications list and the lack of effective compliance and complaints systems.

While the forum had said, “some aspects of the Bill were commendable,” others “posed a public health risk”.

As has been widely reported, Greens leader Senator Richard Di Natale sought an amendment which would have mandated an advisory statement on traditional evidence indications: “This traditional indication is not in accordance with modern medical knowledge and there is no scientific evidence that this product is effective.”

Major parties rejected the amendment, noting “that complementary medicines are a $4 billion export industry,” Insight authors highlighted.

Go to doctorportal.com.au to access the full article.

The Australian Self Medication Industry (ASMI) has commended the passage of the Bill saying it enables “a package of several important reforms that will strengthen protection for consumers”.

“This system will continue to protect consumers from exposure to potentially false and misleading advertisements,” an ASMI spokesperson said.

“It will also help medicines advertisers, publishers and broadcasters to ensure that advertisements comply with the Therapeutic Goods legislation.

“The Bill will also provide the TGA with stronger compliance and enforcement powers, including graduated penalties for noncompliant behavior.”

ASMI said it also supports the expansion of the permitted indications list.

“This will clean up the free text mechanism, which is where medicine sponsors make up their own indications,” says ASMI ceo Deon Schoombie.

See asmi.com.au for more.