Transparency essential for complementary medicines

Painaustralia has provided a submission to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on the complaints management process regarding advertising of therapeutic goods, which highlights the importance of ensuring that the proposed complaints handling model provides better transparency and accountability than our current system.

For the millions of Australians with chronic pain, the pursuit of ineffective medications and treatments could divert them from receiving best practice care, and subsequently further reduce their level of function and quality of life.

It is vital that consumers, prescribers and health practitioners are equipped with factual, evidence-based information to make appropriate choices about treatment options and prevent unintended consequences arising from medicine misuse.

Specifically, we would like to see:

• greater transparency about the inquiry complaints process by actively communicating with complainants on key issues;
• enhanced reporting and monitoring about the total number and nature of complaints;
• enhanced reporting of the actions of product sponsors in responding to alleged breaches of compliance; and
• more transparency in the way the TGA reports on and monitors trends in compliance activity by industry.

This would ensure the complaints system is strengthened and ensure the protection of consumers is given the highest order of importance.

Recently he TGA launched a web hub to make it easy for anyone to lodge complaints about advertisements for therapeutic goods through a single form.

This online resource contains tools for both consumers and advertisers, including fact sheets, elearning modules and forms for reporting unfair or misleading advertising and submitting enquiries.

The TGA is now the sole body for handling complaints about medicine and medical device advertisements aimed at the public, with new sanctions and penalties for advertisers who do not comply with regulations.