SA’s R8bn complementary medicines industry is ‘blatantly resisting’ the government’s attempts at regulation, ignoring a 15 February deadline to put disclaimers on its products, and continuing to sell many goods the regulator says are now illegal, reports [s]Business Day[/s]. To all intents and purposes, the report says, it is 'business as usual 'for an industry that has flourished in the absence of regulatory oversight and surging consumer demand for alternatives to allopathic medicine.
‘The industry isn’t progressive. Probably only 20% of our clients instructed us to change their labels before the February 15 deadline,’ says a contract manufacturer, who asked not to be named. ‘There are going to be casualties, but compliance is not nearly as difficult as the industry is making out,’ he says. The report says for now the [b]Department of Health[/b] is adopting a soft line, saying it will give the industry time to get its house in order before it begins seizing products from shelves [b]Health director-general Precious Matsoso[/b] says, ‘It’s a question of balance: on the one hand protecting the public from harm and on the other ensuring you have a vibrant, ethical and healthy industry.’
[link url=http://www.bdlive.co.za/national/health/2014/02/27/complementary-medicine-industry-resists-change]Full Business Day report[/link]