Consumer advocates have made an 11th hour bid to force manufacturers to declare when therapeutic claims for their complementary medicines are based solely on traditional use.
The TGA has now approved its list of “permitted indications” for therapeutic goods, which includes 1000 ‘indications’ many of which are not recognised by modern medicine, like “Activate meridians/channels” an ‘indication’ allowable for Traditional Chinese Medicines.
The TGA claims the list will provide “greater certainty and protection for consumers” by placing boundaries on the currently unlimited number of descriptions that can be made for low-risk products.
Consumer group Choice is now pushing for amendments to the list, saying in its current form will allow some 860 claims with no scientific basis to be displayed on therapeutic products regularly sold in pharmacies and supermarkets.
It will also allow manufacturers of homeopathic products to claim these products have therapeutic benefits – such as decreasing the time it takes to fall asleep and relieving symptoms of mild anxiety.