HEALTH activist Ken Harvey has urged Pharmacy Daily readers to respond to the options put forward in the latest TGA consultation paper on advertising of therapeutic goods.
In a response to Complementary Medicines Australia ceo Carl Gibson, who claimed figures about non-compliance in advertising quoted by Harvey were "wildly out of date" (PD 09 Nov), he said the finding of 80% non-compliance in 408 recently listed CM post-marketing reviews is the latest data provided by the TGA.
Harvey also noted the 2015-16 Annual Report of the TGA Complaints Resolution Panel activities stated that 98% of complaints determined by the panel were justified.
He said a 46% drop in complaints received by the TGACRP "does not imply (as Mr Gibson seems to assume) that advertising standards have improved," claiming that some complainants were instead focusing on other areas such as inappropriate advertising by registered health professionals.
"In addition, given the ineffectiveness of the current complaint system, others are waiting until the system gets the teeth proposed by the latest TGA consultation paper," he said.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 16 Nov 16
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