APLF on path tests
July 8, 2014
THE Australian Pharmacy Liaison
Forum (APLF), the coalition of
national pharmacy organisations
including The Pharmacy Guild and
the Pharmaceutical Society of
Australia, has said it would endorse
and support an initiative by the
Friends of Science in Medicine
(FSM) and the Royal College of
Pathologists of Australasia to warn
the public about unvalidated and
“pseudo-scientific” diagnostic tests.
The warning came in the form
of an advisory paper to the
government and the Therapeutic
Goods Administration last year,
calling for better regulation of
pathology tests promoted by
various practitioners including
some pharmacies, FSM said.
It said most pseudo-pathology
tests relied on scientific and
medical ignorance of consumers.
“Most of these tests have no
proven accuracy, clinical validity or
utility.”
Examples of these tests included
hair analysis for “toxins” and cancer
tests not performed by NATAapproved
laboratories, FSM said.
In a letter sent in mid-June, APLF
chair John Low said the FSM’s
correspondence regarding the
issue was discussed at the APLF’s
December meeting and each
pharmacy organisation in the
Forum had taken the responsibility
to inform and educate their
respective members regarding the
issue.
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