Healthy Skepticism Library item: 12412

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Publication type: report

Ethical Complementary Medicines
Diet Drug Clamp-Down Call Supported
: Australian Healthcare and Hospitals Association 2008 Jan 9
http://www.aushealthcare.com.au/news/news_details.asp?nid=10565

Abstract:

A call for tighter regulation of weight-loss products has been supported by the complementary medicine industry organisation Ethical Complementary Medicines (ECM).

The call was made originally by a study group at La Trobe University and the Australian Medical Association (AMA), both of which said that Australian pharmacy shelves were stocked with a multitude of products that claimed to achieve weight-loss results, but for which there was little to no scientific evidence to support the claims.

Ethical Complementary Medicines represents manufacturers and marketers of complementary medicines in Australia in a similar way to the government-recognised Complementary Healthcare Council, but it describes itself as more militant and willing to ‘rock the boat to achieve change’.

ECM spokesman and chief executive Carl D. Thompson said the comments by La Trobe team leader Dr Ken Harvey and the AMA had his full support.

“Both Dr Harvey and the AMA have pointed out, quite rightly, that literally hundreds of weight-loss products have been listed in Australia during the past decade, most of which are not supported by scientific evidence,” Mr Thompson said.

“ECM supports the call by Dr Harvey and the AMA for the Federal Government to require sound scientific evidence to support the efficacy of weight-loss products.”

Australia has a two-tier regulatory system, which has registered medicines (usually prescription only) for which scientific evidence must be supplied to the Federal Government regulator (the Therapeutic Goods Administration); and listed medicines, for which a lesser standard of evidence is required.

“The sad fact is that there is no shortage of snake oil out there and Australia’s most notorious con man, Peter Foster, proved that weight loss was the big hot button for unethical people to press to take money off the gullible,” Mr Thompson said.

“We want the regulatory system to be changed so that the public can be told clearly whether or not there is scientific evidence to support the efficacy of a particular product.

“We’re not saying that various products should be banned, because that would be to go down a regulatory road that would eventually give complete control of people’s health to the transnational pharmaceutical companies. That would be very much against the public interest.

“What we are saying is that a category should be created between registered and listed medicines, so that complementary medicines such as weight-loss products for which there is scientific evidence can listed there.

“This can be reflected in the labelling, so the public will know that the sponsors of products in this category have had to provide solid scientific evidence to the Federal Government’s regulator.”

Mr Thompson said the current regulatory structure worked against the public interest, because it prevented the sponsors of complementary medicines referring to published medical studies on their product, if those studies dealt with conditions that were classed as serious under the Therapeutic Goods Act.

“Frankly, we here at ECM consider obesity to be a serious medical condition and believe this should be reflected in the Act,” Mr Thompson said.

“Obesity will kill you. A medical condition cannot be more serious than that.

“To take money off people for a product that may or may not work to help to deal with a weight problem is about as unethical as it gets, in our opinion.”