Healthy Skepticism Library item: 12414

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: media release

Complementary Healthcare Council takes issue with Dr Ken Harvey and the AMA on the regulation of complementary medicines.
Complementary Healthcare Council 2008 Jan 08
www.chc.org.au/view/document.shtml?k03180-frbvsbm

Full text:

The Complementary Healthcare Council today strongly defended the current regulation of complementary
medicines following the release of a paper authored by Dr. Ken Harvey and others in the Medical Journal of Australia (1).
Executive Director, Dr. Tony Lewis said that contrary to what Dr. Harvey claims, controls on the supply and promotion of complementary medicines are strong.
“Ingredients used in Listed complementary medicines have been reviewed by the Complementary
Medicines Evaluation Committee and determined to be safe. Sponsors of complementary medicines are
required to hold evidence of their efficacy and certify so at the time of listing. Advertising of all nonprescription medicines whether via broadcast or mainstream print is subject to pre-approval under a coregulatory process and advertising copy must conform to the strict requirements of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code. Dr. Harvey appears to lack understanding of the checks and balances built into the system.”

It is a concern to the Complementary Healthcare Council, as it should also be for medical practitioners and consumers, that AMA president Rosanna Capolingua and other AMA spokespersons are calling for regulatory changes based on the un-substantiated personal opinion of the paper’s authors, including Dr Ken Harvey. The CHC is strongly of the view that Dr Harvey’s paper is misleading and misrepresents the current strong regulatory system in place for complementary medicines.
“There is no evidence in the article to support Dr Harvey’s assertions”, says Dr Lewis who calls on the AMA and Dr Harvey to provide the evidence.
Dr. Harvey draws a long bow to use his analysis of weight loss products to justify proposed reform for the regulation of all Listed and homoeopathic medicines. His proposal to scrap the listing system and assess all complementary medicines for efficacy flies in the face of sound, efficient and economic risk-based regulatory practice. The Australian therapeutic product listing system is envied by regulators in many other countries.

The CHC, however, does support one of the papers recommendations that more should be done to increase medical practitioner and consumer understanding of Australia’s strong and reputable regulatory system for medicines and particularly complementary medicines.
Dr. Lewis went on to say:
“It is important to allow consumers to make their own choices about products, especially when it comes to low-risk, tightly regulated, therapeutic goods that may assist them to achieve the health outcomes they desire, including weight loss. Consumers also have both the right and the ability not to repurchase any product that does not work for them. In this day and age where most consumers are educated, the average consumer is unlikely to continue to spend hard-earned money on a product that they find to be ineffective.”