Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20187

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: Magazine

Tan-Van Baren C
Weight-loss product ads under fire
Australian Doctor 2006 Mar 24
http://www.australiandoctor.com.au/news/latest-news/weight-loss-product-ads-under-fire

Full text:

ADVERTISING approval for several heavily promoted weight-loss products could be revoked by the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code Council as it moves to crack down on unjustified claims for some complementary health products.

According to the Pharma in Focus newsletter, the council at its meeting last month decided to withdraw advertising clearance for various products because they featured exceptional or non-typical testimonials from people who had apparently lost significant amounts of weight.

But Complementary Healthcare Council executive director Dr Tony Lewis said the TGACC was attempting to retrospectively apply conditions of its new advertising code to advertising that had been assessed and approved just months before the old code was superseded in August last year.

Dr Lewis described the council’s decision as unfair.

We definitely don’t support any advertising that is misleading or jeopardises public health or safety, but these ads were approved under the old code.

The main concern is this concept of retrospectivity that you can actually approve something and people can commit themselves to a large advertising and marketing spend and then a couple of months later someone pulls the rug from under you.”

A TGA spokesman said he could not comment before the minutes of the TGACC meeting were ratified.