[NHPB] Question 16
No. The bulleted list (Page 14) is vague about defining 'truthfulness'
New Zealand should, as a minimum, adopt the Australian and Canadian level of stringency by insisting that the manufacturer provide evidence to support claims made on labels or in advertisements. Although the principles recommended for New Zealand (Page 4) state that "suppliers should be able to make health claims for products, supported by evidence" it must stipulate the type of 'evidence' that is acceptable. As a general rule testimonials or claims based on unsubstantiated pseudoscientific principles should not be accepted as evidence. Furthermore, it should be understood that without statistical support generated from well-conducted trials, any claim will be at best unreliable and misleading.
I accept that many herbal remedies have potential efficacy that may or may not have been validated in clinical trials. Given the popularity and harmlessness of some of these (if well-regulated), less rigorous evidence may need to be accepted in order to allow continued sale of these products. However, when claims are contrary to known principles of medicine, physics and chemistry, then far greater scrutiny should be applied for claims relating to efficacy, and validated evidence must be made available by manufacturers.
In addition, claims should be open to challenge by public submission with reviews made at regular intervals by the regulating body.
The information provided is
The information provided is sparse and needs to be developed more before an opinion can be formed.
Suggest following Advertising Standards Authority codes - http://www.asa.co.nz/code_therapeutic_products.php, weight management - http://www.asa.co.nz/code_weight.php and therapeutic services - http://www.asa.co.nz/code_therapeutic_services.php along with additional disclaimers about seeking medical advice. Any claims should be valid and be able to be readily substantiated with reference to the scientific literature. Scientific evidence needs to be strong and needs to fit with the current scientific consensus regarding a product or class of products (for instance the Cochrane Collaboration has statements on various herbal remedies and this could be used as a guide). Any studies introduced in support should be relevant to the specific ingredient and have appropriate statistical strength to show that the products are in fact effective and safe when used as directed by humans. Cell cultures showing a potential action would not demonstrate this, nor would products with an claimed implausible method of action.