Seminar: The Advertising of Therapeutic Good and Services (and its regulation), March 17, 2016

Introduction

This seminar was held back-to-back with World Consumer Rights Day 2016 (March 15) and the National Consumer Congress (March 16). The latter was hosted by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC). The 2016 Congress discussed how to better protect and empower consumers in the lead up to the review of the Australian Consumer Law.

Our seminar’s aim was to outline current concerns that consumer (and health professional) organisations have with the advertising of therapeutic goods and services and explore ways in which the system(s) might be improved.

Organisations that have expressed concern about these matters include the Consumers Health Forum, Choice (Australian Consumers’ Association), Friends of Science in Medicine, Australian Skeptics, the Doctors Reform Society and Stop the Australian (Anti) Vaccination Network.

The seminar was organised and supported by Choice, the Foundation for Effective Markets and Governance (FEMAG), University of Sydney (Health Law Centre), Monash University (School of Public Health and Preventative Medicine) and the ACCC.

Topics discussed

• The promotion of therapeutic goods to health professionals: Industry self-regulatory codes
• The promotion of therapeutic goods to consumers
• Promotion of therapeutic services by registered health professionals
• Promotion of therapeutic services by unregistered health professionals

The following material is available for download:

• Seminar_Program
• Background papers
  • Advertising of Therapeutic Goods and Services and its Regulation (Ken Harvey and Alan Asher)
  • Essential elements for effective regulation of therapeutic goods and services claims (Bill Dee, FEMAG)
  • Regulating advertising claims by registered health practitioners in the National Registration and Accreditation Scheme (AHPRA)
• Presentations
  • AHPRA Chiropractic case study (Ken Harvey)
  • Essential elements for effective regulation of therapeutic goods (Bill Dee)
• Recommendations

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