Vitamin,
mineral, herbal and other health supplements are referred to as
‘Complementary Medicines’ by the Australian Government, and are
regulated as therapeutic goods under the control of the
Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) within the Commonwealth
Department of Health and Ageing.
All medicines
in Australia, both complementary and conventional, must be
manufactured under pharmaceutical standards of good
manufacturing practice (GMP). All medicines must be on the
Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) as either listed
or registered.
All
prescription medicines and the majority of over-the-counter
(OTC) pharmaceutical medicines are registered and labelled 'AUST
R', whilst the majority of complementary medicines are listed
and are labelled 'AUST L'.
Registered
medicines have been evaluated by the TGA for quality, safety and
efficacy; listed medicines have been similarly assessed, only
not for efficacy. Companies making claims for efficacy
however, must hold evidence that supports these claims.
Any high-level claim of efficacy for a serious disease requires
registration and TGA assessment.
In contrast,
vitamin, mineral, herbal and other health supplements in the
United States are regulated as dietary supplements. The US Food
and Drug Administration (FDA) is not involved in the assessment
or certification of these types of products.
This places
Australia at the forefront of complementary medicine regulation
and ensures that Australian consumers have medicines produced at
a high level of quality control. To view the complete regulations
as stated by the Australian Government,
click
here.
If, at
any time, you have any
queries with regards to the Nature's Sunshine Product supplements, please don't hesitate to
contact us.
