Consumers Down Under will have access to more information about alternative medicines.
A bill was recently approved in Australia that loosens some of the regulations governing advertising claims made by producers of alternative and complementary products. The Therapeutic Goods Amendment Bill 2017 creates a list of “permitted indications” which can be used in advertising without having to jump through the bureaucratic hoops previously required. Crucially, the list includes indications supported by “traditional evidence.” Australian lawmakers also rejected amendments to the bill that would have slapped natural products with a disclaimer—similar to what the FTC now requires for homeopathic products in the US—that would have read: “This traditional indication is not in accordance with modern medical knowledge and there is no scientific evidence that this product is effective.”
We’re glad Australians have fought back efforts to restrict the information available to consumers about natural medicine. Take action to protect free speech in the US by supporting two Citizen’s Petitions for health claims about cranberries helping with urinary tract infections and vitamin D’s role in preventing preterm births.