Ken Harvey
Dr. Ken Harvey is a public health physician and a consumer and science advocate with medicine policy expertise. He is currently President of Friends of Science in Medicine, Director of Medreach Pty Ltd., and an Honorary Adjunct Associate Professor at Bond University.
Ken's recent articles
4 September 2021
A food for special medical purposes for cancer patients?
Yet another example of a major discrepancy in consumer protection in the regulation of therapeutic claims made for medicines compared to therapeutic claims made for food.
29 June 2021
Can we have confidence in the Therapeutic Goods Administration?
Two recent decisions by the TGA have further reduced the confidence that health professionals and consumers have in the regulation of complementary medicines. The first was allowing complementary medicines as a reward for people vaccinated against COVID-19. The second was approving a TGA assessed (Aust L(A)) application for Caruso's Prostate EZE Max.
18 April 2021
COVID-19 Vaccines: Risks, Benefits, and Indemnity
The Morrison government has provided Indemnity for vaccine manufacturers but not Australians at risk of the exceedingly rare, but sometimes fatal, blood clots linked to the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
14 November 2020
Review of the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Framework
Just two years on from the implementation of new laws to control advertising for misleading and deceptive therapeutic goods, the scheme is in tatters. Having failed to halt a wave of wrongful conduct and in the face of growing numbers of complaints the TGA has given up on systematic enforcement.
9 July 2020
The Therapeutic Goods Administration must do better.
Almost 2 years after complaints about numerous hangover products were submitted to the TGA they have finally published one outcome. The TGA agreed there was insufficient evidence to support claims related to hangover relief.
17 May 2020
KEN HARVEY. Formal response from the TGA
Dr Ken Harvey has provided the following formal response from the TGA as an update to his article (Pearls and Irritations, 7 May, https://publish.pearlsandirritations.com/ken-harvey-tga-fails-to-act-on-palmers-hydroxychloroquine-advertisements/)
6 May 2020
KEN HARVEY. TGA fails to act on Palmer's hydroxychloroquine advertisements
The recent decision by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) to drop its investigation into advertisements for hydroxychloroquine splashed over 3 pages of national newspapers by Clive Palmer is the latest example of its regulatory failure.
23 October 2019
KEN HARVEY. The TGA, KPI's and the budget surplus
On 3 February 2018 Health Minister Hunt stated, the TGA will be adequately resourced and staffed to manage complaints from July 1, 2018. Instead, during 2018-19, 74 TGA staff positions were lost to boost the governments Aged Care initiatives in a government zero sum game, presumably to assist the desired budget surplus. Consequently, of 121 high priority complaints, only 26 (21%) met their time to closure KPI (60-90 days).