To: IAHF List
Subject: Australia Puts Screws to Dietary Supplement Industry Under False Pretenses: Codex Viewed in Microcosm
From: IAHF.COM
Date: Sat, 12 Mar 2005 03:15:03 +0100

IAHF List: Below my comments you will find two news articles about recent dastardly doin's down under where the Australian TGA (their FDA) is once again running amok against Australian dietary supplement consumers. Americans and consumers world wide must pay close attention to understand the sick tactics being arrayed against us as we fight this global war for health freedom.

The first article is from ABC News in Australia, the second article is from the American Herbal Products Assn.

Both articles should be viewed in the context of THIS article about the fraudulent "Pan Recall" in Australia which provided the SPIN which pushed this recent regulatory hurdle raising against us. http://www.middlepath.com.au/foh/joevialls.php Via the Pan Recall, the TGA attacked Australia's largest manufacturer of dietary supplements and under false pretenses yanked thousands of products from the shelves to create a media circus against the natural products industry. Vialls article cuts through the spin, showing what REALLY happened.

As Australia moves to "tighten up" regulations against dietary supplements even MORE than they already have, consumers in neighboring New Zealand are redoubling their dogged efforts to block their Parliament from ratifying a horrible treaty with Australia that was illegally signed by their health minister totally against the wishes of the New Zealand people. The treaty threatens to harmonize New Zealand's liberal food based supplement regs to Australias horrible, pharmaceuticalized regs. Undoubtedly, the recent spin in the Australian press will make life more difficult for the health freedom fighters in New Zealand.

As this New Zealand battle rages http://www.nzhealthtrust.co.nz a parallel battle rages in Canada where Bill C-420 ("The Foods are Not Drugs Act") just made it through a second reading of the Canadian Parliament. It must now go to the House and must survive a third reading, but Canadians are doing the right thing by trying to undo the illegal harmonization to Australian law which has taken them in the wrong direction.

Unfortunately, Codex meanwhile looms over all these proceedings like a Ten Thousand Pound Guerrilla- see EMERGENCY UPDATE FROM THE HEALTH FREEDOM FRONT LINES http://www.lef.org/featured-articles/emergency_update_020705.htm

What to Do: IAHF is going to Expo West vitamin trade show next week to hold an emergency meeting with innovative manufacturers. Your donations can help us with expenses related to this meeting. We will expose how the pharma dominated vitamin trade associations are leading the industry to a largely unseen cliff.... See how to donate at very end of this mssg. We have a strategy on how to fight back, and a growing number of companies are awakening to reality. With your assistance, I can do more public speaking on this issue world wide.

Australians- coordinate through Mike Bending at http://www.paradigm-changes.com
You should push your Parliament to harmonize to New Zealand law, connect with NZ Health Trust at http://www.nzhealthtrust.co.nz and get some synergy going down under

Education is the first step... Please see Articles Below & forward this widely-- urge your friends to sign on to the IAHF list at http://www.iahf.com and to support IAHF.

SEE ARTICLES BELOW.....

Alternative medicine rules tightened. 10/03/2005. ABC News Online
[This is the print version of story http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1319924.htm]

Last Update: Thursday, March 10, 2005. 11:27am (AEDT)

Alternative medicine rules tightened

The Federal Government has announced a major overhaul of the regulations governing the $800 million a year alternative medicine industry.

The mass recall of complementary medicines by Pan Pharmaceuticals in 2003 sparked an expert review of the sector.

It found many potentially toxic herbal ingredients sold in Australia have not been subject to detailed study.

The Government has now responded to the findings, saying its changes should help restore confidence in the sector.

It plans to crack down on claims of the alleged benefits of alternative medicines; new guidelines will be closely monitored by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA).

There will be increased penalties for those refusing to provide the TGA with information to back their claims.

There will also be further reviews of homeopathic and herbal medicines, raw herbs and other ingredients used in medicinal compounds.

The Australian Self-Medication Industry has welcomed the overhaul.

The organisation's scientific director, Dr Deon Schoombie, says the changes will be far reaching and positive.

"I think it will certainly go a long way in securing the rightful place of complementary medicines in Australia," Dr Schoombie said.

"Many Australians use it and I think it's important that they have the confidence these products are of a high quality and are safe to use."

Dr Schoombie says it is unlikely any medicines will have to be reformulated or relabelled

"I think there will be changes because it will raise the standards," Dr Schoombie said.

"But I don't think it will have a huge negative impact on manufacturers and sponsors but there may be some who will be affected by it."

AHPA Update • March 10, 2005

Australia raises regulatory bar on herbal products

The Australian government announced yesterday that the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) will demand a "much more rigorous assessment" of all herbal and homeopathic ingredients used in complementary medicines.

The announcement was part of the government's response to recommendations from an Expert Committee on Complementary Medicines in the Health System. That committee was formed in the aftermath of an April 2003 recall of more than 1,600 medicines (including products regulated as dietary supplements in the United States) manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals. The committee assessed the regulatory, health system, and industry structures for complementary medicines in Australia, and published its report 18 months ago (see http://www.tga.gov.au/docs/pdf/cmreport.pdf).

The government accepted nearly all of the committee's 49 recommendations, expanding upon each in its response document. They include reviewing homeopathic and herbal medicines, raw herbs and other ingredients, and implementing new guidelines to verify claims. Further, quality standards for all ingredients used in complementary medicines will be enforced, and any ingredients suspected of causing fetal abnormalities will be banned from use other than in complementary products subject to the same scrutiny as that given to prescription drugs.

The government is to establish a database to identify researchers and centers of excellence on complementary medicines, and take more action to ensure consumers get reliable product information.

The TGA posted the full response document on its website at http://www.tga.gov.au/cm/cmresponse.pdf.

For Health Freedom,
John C. Hammell, President
International Advocates for Health Freedom
556 Boundary Bay Road
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jham@iahf.com
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