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Articles on TGA

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It’s not just women who are the losers following the latest TGA announcement. People with all types of medical devices need better regulatory protection. from www.shutterstock.com

The TGA’s proposed breast implant ban exposes a litany of failures, and fails to protect women

The proposed Australian ban of some types of breast implants is too little, too late. It also reveals regulatory failures that need to be fixed if Australian consumers are to be protected.
Advances in technology mean it’s now possible to 3D print everything from prosthetic limbs to skin, bones and organs. armymedicine/flickr

Proposed new regulations for 3D printed medical devices must go further

Who should be legally responsible when 3D printed devices fail? Proposed changes to the Therapeutic Goods Administration’s regulatory framework have the potential to settle that question.
The Australian drugs regulator is overhauling the health claims made by suppliers of complementary medicines, including homeopathic therapies. And some curious options are up for discussion. from www.shutterstock.com

New complementary medicine health claims lack evidence, so why are they even on the table?

Would you trust a complementary medicine described as “vermifuge”, “vulnerary” or “emmenagogue”? That’s what new labelling proposes and not everyone’s happy about it.
Some of the notable additions to the PBS include drugs to treat eye and HIV infections, cystic fibrosis, multiple sclerosis, and cancer. from shutterstock.com

New drugs on the PBS: what they do and why we need them

An independent expert provides his pick of the most notable drugs added to the PBS on May 1, 2017.
How do you really know if vitamin and mineral supplements really ‘help your heart’ or ‘boost your mood’? from www.shutterstock.com

Which supplements work? New labels may help separate the wheat from the chaff

If the Therapeutic Goods Administration implements new proposals to regulate complementary medicines, you can be more confident they actually do what they say on the packet.
Patients with life-threatening diseases can legally order drugs available overseas and have them delivered to their local pharmacy. But what are the risks? from www.shutterstock.com

Online ‘Dallas Buyers Club’ promises medications, fast

The Social Medwork is a website that promises patients legal access to medicines from overseas. How does it work? What are the risks? And why are patients turning to it to access the drugs they need?
Bone-marrow transplants to treat leukaemia are one of the miniscule number of stem-cell treatments that have a strong evidence base. from shutterstock.com

What Australia needs to do to protect consumers from untested stem-cell treatments

Australians clinics are offering stem-cell-based anti-ageing and cosmetic therapies that have not been clinically tested. Here’s what we need to do to ensure consumers don’t get ripped off, or worse.
The most concerning finding was leopard DNA. Elena Elisseeva/Shutterstock

What’s in your herbal medicines?

Making sure that a tablet claiming to have 500 mg of paracetamol really does contain 500 mg of paracetamol is relatively easy. But how do you test for herbs?
Representatives of the 12 Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) member countries at a press conference in Atlanta, after a deal was reached. EPA/Erik S. Lesser

Why biologics were such a big deal in the Trans Pacific Partnership

Before the last round of negotiations, only a handful of issues remained in the way of concluding the TPP. A potential deal-breaker for Australia was intellectual property protections for biologics.
Off-label use is when an approved medicine is prescribed for a different reason, at a different dose, or in different patient groups than originally intended. Benny Lin/Flickr

Explainer: why are off-label medicines prescribed?

The off-label use of medicines is not illegal and it doesn’t mean regulators have specifically “disapproved” its use. But there are a number of issues to consider before using a medicine off-label.

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