Listed medicines

28 April 2011

Listed medicines are usually considered to be relatively benign, so the regulations allow for sponsors to 'self assess' their products in some situations. The majority of listed medicines are self-selected by consumers and used for self-treatment.

They are all unscheduled medicines with well-known established ingredients, usually with a long history of use, such as vitamin and mineral products or sunscreens. These are assessed by the TGA for quality and safety but not efficacy.

All listed medicines:

• must display an 'AUST L' number on the label as proof of listing.
• must NOT contain substances that are scheduled in the Poisons Standard.

Listed medicines are assessed by the TGA for quality and safety but not efficacy. This means that the TGA has not evaluated them individually to see if they work.

This does not mean that they do not work. It simply means that the TGA has not evaluated them individually to see if they work. It is a requirement under the Act that sponsors hold information to substantiate all of their product's claims. For example, sunscreens can be a listed product yet, they must have complied with testing under the Australian standard for sunscreens.

It is a requirement under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 that sponsors hold information to substantiate all of their product's claims.