On 5 July 2018 I complained to the TGA about the promotion of Pharmacare Laboratories Ease-a-cold products (TGA reference AL-B81GN1V3/2018).
The TGA have now published the outcome of this complaint noting that in all cases that a breach was found, compliance was achieved by formal contact without any other action required.
The attached document contains screenshots (taken today) of promotion from the sites complained about. I argue they show that:
- Compliance has not been achieved in any of these sites. The name of the product, “Ease-a-cold”, the claims, “Scientifically/Specifically formulated to help shorten a cold” and “reduce the severity of 31 different symptoms of a cold on your daily life”, are misleading, deceptive and lack evidence to substantiate them.
- The TGA has not addressed additional code breaches that were alleged, e.g. 4(1)(b), & 4(2)(a);
- The rationale for some breaches suggested by the TGA are unclear, e.g. 42DL(12), 22(5)and 42DLB(4);
- It is also unclear why the TGA found no Code breach for the Chemist Warehouse and Epharmacy web sites (illustrated).
- Public Summary Documents of several Ease‐a‐cold products continue to make claims that appear to breach the Code, e.g. 194706, 232713.
I have requested a meeting with the TGA to discuss these concerns.
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