THE Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will assume responsibility for all complaints about therapeutic goods advertisements in Australia from 01 Jul 2018, with the move seeing the demise of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Complaints Resolution Panel (TGACRP).
The move is part of a wider overhaul of the therapeutic goods advertising framework, with benefits cited including simplification of the complaints mechanism, including a single online portal for lodging complaints and "improved transparency of complaint outcomes".
The TGA said the new arrangements would streamline complaints handling and remove unnecessary duplication, leading to "more timely resolution and compliance," while advertisers would benefit from consistency in complaints decision-making and interpretation of legislation.
The revamped system will be subject to an external review after three years of operation, to confirm the intended benefits are being realised and allow improvements to be implemented.
Other reforms under consideration and set to be delivered in 2018 include the removal of pre-approvals of medicines, a formal advertising compliance education program and "broader and enhanced enforcement and compliance powers to deter the inappropriate and misleading advertising of therapeutic products," the TGA said - along with the flagged revamp of advertising guidelines for pharmacist-only (S3) medicines in Australia.
Complementary Medicines Australia ceo Carl Gibson welcomed the axing of the TGACRP, saying it was "too slow, too inefficient and too ineffective," because it lacked the ability to ensure compliance.
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