The TGA has hit back at claims the regulation of traditional herbal medicines is inadequate in Australia.
The criticisms come from a paper published in this week’s MJA that says the “light touch” regulation of the herbal and complementary medicines industry means “dosages can be inconsistent, contents inaccurately listed, and toxic and pharmaceutical contaminants and adulterants may be present in herbal medicines”.
This was an unsatisfactory situation which the government and regulatory bodies, including the TGA, should respond to with “great urgency” say the authors from Adelaide and Perth.
However a spokeswoman for the TGA said the paper largely referred to examples from overseas.
“Australia has an internationally well regarded regulatory system for all medicines, including herbal and other complementary medicines.”
“Only ingredients that are known to be safe can be used in herbal medicines,” she said.