PRE-APPROVAL OF THERAPEUTIC GOODS ADVERTISING TO CONTINUE AS LABOR SECURES TGA WIN

Consumers will continue to have protection against dodgy claims about therapeutic goods, after the Turnbull Government was forced to back down and amend their own Therapeutic Goods Administration legislation.

 

The Therapeutic Goods Amendment (2017 Measures No 1) Bill would have removed the pre-approval system for advertisements of therapeutic goods – with numerous stakeholders raising concerns that this would have seriously weakened protections against misleading advertising of therapeutic goods.

 

Labor has secured amendments that will retain the pre-approval system for an additional two years. An independent review at 18 months will be undertaken and a number of other non-statutory measures will further improve protections associated with the reforms.

 

Critically, this Bill also implements a new provisional approval pathway for promising new medicines, which will allow patients with serious conditions access to medicines where the early clinical data is promising.

 

" The pre-approval system for advertisements should remain in place to protect consumers until after an independent review has been conducted,” Shadow Assistant Minister for Medicare, Tony Zappia said.

 

“Importantly, promising new medicines will now have an expedited pathway so that patients can access the benefits of these medicines sooner. Better access to medicines is always a welcome step.”