Crackdown looms on complementary medicinal products

Medicines Control Council inspectors are gearing up to seize scores of illegal products claiming to treat diabetes, heart disease, cancer and viral illnesses in a blitz aimed at enforcing tough regulations for complementary medicines.

Business Day, 28 April 2016

The complementary medicines regulations, which were gazetted on November 15 2013, allowed firms to continue selling complementary medicines until they were called up for assessment by the council, starting with those deemed the most risky. The first call-up deadline, on May 15 2014, was for products claiming to be complementary medicines for HIV, diabetes, heart conditions and cancer. Registrar Joey Gouws said the council sent a letter to the industry, advising it that only six products submitted in terms of the call-up notice met the requirements for complementary medicines and could stay on the market pending further scrutiny.

All other products claiming to be complementary medicines for HIV, diabetes, heart conditions and cancer are now illegal. This includes products that were not submitted for the 2014 call-up and those imported after this date that were not submitted. The six products that passed initial muster are Modhomco's Cralonin oral drops, Bioforce SA's Crataegus Oxy Liquid, Bell Lifestyle Products' Cardio Health, the Medical Nutritional Institute's AntaGolin, Brunel Laboratories' Patrick Holford Cinnamon and Avid Brands' Bioharmony Cinnabalance, according to the letter sent to the industry.

These can be sold for now, pending their registration. Gouws said the council had received only 24 applications for the call-up. The 18 that did not meet the requirements for complementary medicines for cancer, HIV, diabetes and heart disease were for other clinical conditions and would be assessed later. Council inspectors would concentrate their enforcement efforts at the wholesale level, as this was more effective than visiting retailers. The next announcement from the council is expected to be for the lucrative slimming and sexual hormone segment of the market.

The council received 121 applications for this category. The call-up deadline for supplements, one of the biggest market segments, is May 15. Health Products Association chairman Norman Fels said the low response rate from the industry suggested companies were experiencing problems with the process, rather than ignoring the regulations. He said any innovation, and the importation of new products, has been blocked and the industry stifled.