28 November 2011

Slow Regulation

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the Australian counterpart of the US FDA that was recently severely criticised by the ANAO, has belatedly announced that it has cancelled the listing of Sensaslim Solution from the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) because of a failure to comply with requirements of the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 (Cth) relating to the advertising of the product.

The belated removal of listing - indicative of regulatory incapacity at the TGA - follows action by the Australian Competition & Consumer Commission against Sensaslim Australia Pty Ltd (Administrator Appointed), Peter Clarence Foster and others. The ACCC alleged that Sensaslim and several of its officers engaged in misleading and deceptive conduct and made false representations.

The slow food movement may be admirable, albeit romantic, but indolence in regulation has its costs. Given the ANAO report we might hope that TGA executives are examining the operation of their operation.