Reply #76: Australian regulation [View All]

[moggie]

Last year, as a result of serious illnesses suffered by a number of people who had taken a travel sickness remedy, the Australian TGA (their equivalent of the FDA) investigated a number of products of the pharmaceutical company concerned. They found serious problems, including widely varying concentrations of the active ingredients (where there was an active ingredient, that is!). To quote an article in Skeptical Inquirer (September/October '03): "Charging Pan with unacceptable manufacturing procedures, inadequate quality control, falsification of records, and other misdemeanors, TGA revoked its license to manufacture in April 2003. It then instituted an immediate compulsory product recall of (at last count and ongoing) more than 1500 products". The company exported worldwide, so it's quite possible you've used its alternative remedies or dietary supplements.

This is, of course, a positive story about Australian regulation of the industry, even though they have a two-tier regulation system, with most alternative medicines and food supplements falling under the more lenient regime. But I believe this is more regulation than exists in the US. If one of the largest Australian manufacturers of alternative remedies was corrupt and incompetent, and made products which were actively harmful (as well as others which did absolutely nothing), how far do you trust similar US companies?