Complementary medicines
Complementary medicines include complementary medicine ingredients such as vitamin, mineral, herbal material, aromatherapy and homoeopathic preparations. They are non-prescription medicines and are also known as alternative medicines.
Complementary medicines are non-prescription medicines. They are medicines that primarily contain complementary medicine ingredients that have an established identity and tradition of use. Examples of complementary medicine ingredients are:
- vitamins
- minerals
- plant material
- nutritional substances
- essential oils
- microorganisms
- animal material.
Most complementary medicines are included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG) as listed medicines or registered complementary medicines.
Latest alerts
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Weleda Australia Pty Ltd is recalling one batch of Weleda Baby Teething Powder following a complaint that a fragment of glass was found in one bottle of this product.
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Brauer Natural Medicine is recalling several batches of its Baby & Child Teething Gel, 20 g, due to the potential for a small plastic fragment from the tube rim being present in the gel.
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We are aware of products being sold in Australia that claim to contain, or influence the levels of, nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NAD, NAD+, NADH) or nicotinamide mononucleotide (NMN) in the body.
Latest articles
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Update to listed medicine ingredients in June 2025
Listed medicine ingredients and requirements for their use have been updated in the Therapeutic Goods (Permissible Ingredients) Determination (No. 2) 2025, which commenced on 20 June 2025. -
Updated TGA statement on CHOICE SPF sunscreen findings
This statement is an update to provide technical clarification regarding information on laboratory testing and release of information by the TGA. The original statement was published on 12 June 2025. -
TGA statement on CHOICE SPF sunscreen findings
We are aware of a CHOICE report where a number of sunscreens were found to not meet their claimed Sun Protection Factor (SPF) ratings.
Latest publications
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About compositional guidelines for ingredients permitted for use in listed medicines.
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A step-by-step guide for prescription medicines
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Advisory Committee on Complementary Medicines Meeting 17 meeting statement
Open consultations
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Consultation: Adoption of International Scientific Guidelines in Australia R02-2024
We are seeking feedback on whether we should adopt 3 international scientific guidelines.