Don Aitken wrote:
On Thu, 17 Jul 2008 23:40:20 +0100, "Trent SC"
wrote:

I was wondering where the law stands on advertisers, manufacturers and
promoters who make medical claims for foods and household goods such as
shampoos (typically along the lines of "cures cancer", "reverses baldness",
etc).

Are they merely transgressing advertising codes of conduct, or are there
specific laws in place that prevent, say, all but authorised, tested and
peer-reviewed medicines from attracting this sort of promotion?

It is illegal to claim medical benefits from the use of anything which
does not have a product licence under the Medicines Act. But weasel
words which produce the same impression are legal if carefully
drafted, as in the case of all the useless rubish marketed as "food
supplements".

Anyone using either of the wordings you quote would find themselves in
court pretty rapidly.


And there are plenty of things marketed in all sorts of ways
(supplements and even gardening products) that actually do/can have
medical benefits that cannot be claimed.

Examples include Epsom Salts (Magnesium Sulphate) and Vinegar. I really
can't see anyone paying to get either of these a Medicines Act product
license. So they end up as potentially beneficial agents that cannot be
sold as such.

--
Rod

Hypothyroidism is a seriously debilitating condition with an insidious
onset.
Although common it frequently goes undiagnosed.
www.thyromind.info www.thyroiduk.org www.altsupportthyroid.org