Recent Australian research has found nearly 50% of CAM products tested had contamination issues, with some showing the presence of animal ingredients, nuts, wheat, pharmaceuticals and toxins: See:
- https://ajp.com.au/news/australian-pharmacies-selling-contaminated-supplements/
- https://www.ausdoc.com.au/news/doctors-warned-cam-contaminated-reindeer-and-frog-fragments
- https://www.theage.com.au/national/supplements-may-contain-traces-of-frog-but-will-they-make-you-croak-20190906-p52olk.html
- https://thenewdaily.com.au/life/wellbeing/2019/09/07/secret-ingredients-herbal-medicines/
- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31472365
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40290-018-0252-8
This is yet another example of the failure of the TGA’s trust-based regulatory system for listed products that has no pre-market evaluation and trusts sponsors to obey the rules. This research amplifies the TGA’s own limited findings on post-market surveillance, their recent consumer survey and the high level of upheld advertising complaints.
No wonder the industry is resisting publication of the names of companies and products failing TGA post-marketing surveillance!
It’s time the Australian National Audit Office (ANAO) repeated their 2011 audit to examine the effectiveness of the TGA’s administration of complementary medicines regulation.
Too many problems have continued for too long and consumer detriment is the result.
Postscript 06/09/2019:
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