FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Wednesday 2nd April 2008
Medsafe Blocks Safe Meds and Recommends Suicidal Meds
Medsafe recommends New Zealanders keep taking Merck's best-selling Singulair allergy and asthma drug (Saturday's Herald)
even though the FDA announced it was reviewing a growing number of reports involving suicidal behaviour and suicide in
patients who have taken the drug. Health Freedom questions Medsafe’s (whose name implies safe medicine) agenda.
"It is outrageous that Mesdafe tells us to keep taking such drugs when other countries are issuing warnings. If there is
even a suspicion of suicidal side effects surely a regulator, who’s mission is to ensure safe medicine, should be
mindful of our already astronomically high iatrogenic (harm caused by drugs and doctors) death toll. Instead they devote
their energies to a witch hunt of the natural health Industry. This is strike two for Medsafe." says Health Freedom
spokesperson Nicola Grace.
Strike one came when Medsafe said, "keep on taking your drugs and consult your doctor", when UK regulators announced
GlaxoSmithKline had been hiding adverse test results of its anti-depressant drug Seroxat (aka Aropax). GSK had
suppressed nine clinical trials which showed the drug was ineffective in under eighteen year olds and raised the risk of
suicide behaviors. "Can we trust Medsafe?" says Nicola. Can we trust the so called scientific proof they base their
approvals on when 20% of Scientists have adminted to changing the methodology, design or results of their studies due to
pressure from the organization paying for the study? (Source Nature 2005).
Our iatrogenic death toll is 3 times that of our road toll YET Medsafe have made it a higher priority to appoint extra
staff to police natural products which have a safety record of a zero death rate over 20 years. Website owners are being
contacted and demands made to remove information from their sites that pertain to a recently broadened definition of
therapeutic claims. According to Medsafe it is now illegal to have research, clinical trials and testimonials on your
website if they imply a therapeutic benefit for your products. You may not even place links on your website to other
sites with research, clinical trials or scientific studies relating to the ingredients in your products. MedSafe's
activities have been accurately described by Radio New Zealand National's host Katheryn Ryan, as "Barking mad".
Medsafe's expanded version of the term medicine or therapeutic claims comes from a guidance document issued last year
when the general public managed to stop the unpopular "Anti-Vitamin" Bill that would have had the TGA take over Medsafe
in an Australian led bureaucracy. After 27 years since the Medicines Act altered the meaning of the world ‘medicine’ so
that it only applies to pharmaceutical drugs, Medsafe have hired more staff to enforce the unreasonable aspects of the
legislation, in Medsafe's own words to "demonstrate to the industry that the regulations are flawed". Health Freedom
says this is clearly a retaliatory move which can only harm the consumer and industry.
Medsafe are now claiming that the Medicines Act forbids practitioners and website owners to mention any of these types
of terms in their advertising: Treating or preventing disease (including colds, influenza and parasites). Assisting with
general ailments such as pain and inflammation. Altering the shape, structure, size or weight of the human body.
Preventing or interfering with the normal operation of a physiological function. Relieves; prevents; treats; a disease
or symptoms of a disease or a disease state. Decreases; retards or slows the onset of a normal physiological condition
or function. Mentioning that the product or any of its ingredients has been used traditionally for a therapeutic
purpose. Using testimonials or personal statements that refer to the product having a therapeutic purpose. Information
articles about disease prevention or other therapeutic purposes that includes a brand name of a product or an
advertisement for a product on the same or facing page. Informational websites with links to a product. Quoting research
or clinical trials. Claims that the product is an alternative to a medicine or group of medicines. You can't say Apply
to the affected area, Relieves the symptoms of, Temporary relief of, Assists in the treatment of, May be useful for ".
The full document is available on www.healthfreedom.co.nz.
"This is nothing short of a gag order on the natural health industry" says Nicola. Stores are being raided, safe
products confiscated and businesses are going to the wall because they can't advertise their products. "This witch hunt
is a terror campaign, probably coached by Australia's notorious TGA who are just itching to get their hands on
regulating the New Zealand natural products market out of existence, as they have been doing in Australia." says Nicola.
Health Freedom believes that Medsafe are attempting to intimidate the industry into accepting the proposed Trans-Tasman
authority. In playing petty politics it has lost sight of its mission, to protect the health of NZers. Health Freedom
suggest it's high time Medsafe spend taxpayers money on ensuring the drugs our doctors prescribe are truly safe instead
of harassing the natural health industry who actually help two million New Zealanders every year and do no harm.
It's time for Government to accept the natural health industries proposal for a sensible New Zealand based regulator,
free from witch hunters and the foreign multi-billion dollar corporations that Medsafe serves, in the interest of public
safety.
ENDS