BMJ 2008;336:1270 (7 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.39598.494942.DB
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Australia to consider further regulation of complementary products
Bob Burton
1 Hobart
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
The Australian government is considering further regulation of the $A2bn (£970m; 
1.2bn; $1.9bn) a year complementary medicines industry after a consumer group raised concerns that products are promoted despite a lack of independently assessed evidence on their effectiveness.
In May the Australian Consumers Association published a general overview of the studies of glucosamine to treat osteoarthritis. The association concluded that some glucosamine products were at best on a par with a placebo and at worst ineffective. Australian consumers are estimated to spend approximately $A49m on these supplements a year.
Symbion Health, a company that markets a range of glucosamine products, reacted angrily by running an advertisement titled "Glucosamine: the facts made simple" in newspapers throughout the country. The advertisement claimed that "extensive research proves there can be a significant benefit" in using glucosamine for osteoarthritis. Its claims are based on a study in the Annals of Pharmacotherapy (2005 Apr 26;
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