Help stop the TGA reforms that can delete our wonderful industry

TGA ADVERTISING REFORMS from BioConcepts: UPDATE 1: 3 JULY 2013
To all Naturopaths, Homeopathic Practitioners and Herbalists

As an update from the Complementary Healthcare Council (CHC) meeting, held in Sydney on Monday 1 July 2013:

We strongly recommend that you read the consultation paper:
Download the consultation paper here

It should be noted that this update has been created prior to the release of the CHC Meeting minutes and only reflects Bio Concepts’ conclusions from the meeting.

For our full summary, please go to the Bio Concepts website or download here.

Points:

There are 8 Advertising Reforms, to be implemented by July 2014, tabled by the TGA requiring response by 12 July 2013. These Reforms are presented to “increase public safety”.

• Proposals 5 and 6 are directed at Complementary Healthcare Practitioners

• Proposal 5: “prohibit the advertising of higher risk medical devices (applicable to Class III, Active Implantable medical devices and Class 4 in vitro diagnostic devices)“

• Proposal 6: “Naturopaths, Homeopathic practitioners and Herbalists, who are not registered with National Registration Accreditation Scheme (NRAS) would be regulated in the same way as advertising to the general public”

In structuring a response to Proposal 5 & 6, the points that need to be considered include:
– the status quo is maintained, no changes implemented, total opposition to the reforms
– that the whole industry needs a consistent and unified response
– is the TGA using the guise of Advertising Codes and Public Safety as a stepping stone to degrade and diminish the industry
– if a Uniformed Accreditation Registration is not implemented, the TGA will extend the impact of treating you as “general public” which will have significant implications to your profession and to our industry

What can you do? CALL TO ACTION:

1. Read the full Consultation Paper

2. Contact your Association to get them heavily involved to ensure they respond by July 12th

3. Respond yourself as a practitioner at: email advertising.consultation@tga.gov.au or http:www.tga.gov.au/newsroom/consult-advertising-ris-130531.htm

Please consider:
– formulate your response based around “Public Safety”
– communicate with passion, commitment, professionalism and clarity
– suggest you offer any financial burden that could be realised by any changes

4. Contact your patients to offer their feedback directly to the TGA
Formulate their response around :
– their reliance on Complementary Medicine (CM) practitioners for their health and wellbeing
– their impressions of the industry
– their reliance on CM practitioners to be up to date in their knowledge
– contact their local Federal Member to issue their opposition

5. Use your Social Media to raise the attention

6. It has been suggested that a Template style response is not as powerful as a personalised response

7. This is a political issue, so high numbers of responses will gain their ATTENTION

It was very pleasing to see the industry working together positively.
We trust that this information has been of value. We will endeavor to keep you updated through this process.
Last Updated on Wednesday, 03 July 2013 16:51