IN AN unflinchingly direct letter to the Department of Health First Assistant Secretary Ross Hawkins, Friends of Science advocate and public health protagonist Associate Professor Ken Harvey of Monash University has called for "respect and constructive outcomes".
"Civil society organisations have been attempting to have constructive dialogue with the Department of Health and the TGA for a long time...[but] our concerns have been ignored, misrepresented and sidelined from decision-making on the Bill," he wrote, referencing the 2017 Measures No.1 Bill around complementary medicines (CMs) advertising (PD Tue).
Harvey went on to say he believed the Minister was poorly informed, with civil society submissions and the Green's amendment ignored.
Complementary Medicines Australia ceo Carl Gibson has countered, urging all stakeholders to make their voices heard in the stakeholder meetings being run by the TGA saying in a targeted tilt at Harvey, "the loudest voice in the room, isn't necessarily the right one and others need to stand up for what they believe.
"Dr Harvey does not respect the democratic process and is now trying to influence the development of the advertising code by unduly getting his sticky fingers involved in some very good organisations with his one man crusade against our industry.
"A couple of dozen folks rattling around an academic hall for a thousand people does not give their argument or a civic society campaign any credibility."
Gibson added, "Friends of Science wants our industry dead, they don't respect traditional evidence claims, they are culturally insensitive and now they want to restrict weight loss products as we face a public health crisis with obesity."
See tga.gov.au for submissions.
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