The Therapeutic Goods Advertising Consultative Committee (TGACC) met on 23 August 2021. The TGACC comprises a diverse range of stakeholder organisations with an interest in the advertising of therapeutic goods, including media, consumer and health professional sectors.
The TGACC noted stakeholder feedback from the public consultation on improvements to the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code (No.2) 2018, including the divergent views from stakeholders on key proposals to amend the Code. Members led a series of discussions in relation to the major options for amendments. The TGACC supported consultation feedback on the need to improve the readability of the Code, simplify the Code requirements for mandatory statements and improve the accessibility and quality of guidance to support users of the Code. There was a range of views among members on use of testimonials, mandatory warning statements and provision of samples. Further feedback will be sought from members in the coming two weeks before the TGA finalises advice policy options for Ministerial consideration.
The TGACC considered the draft Therapeutic Goods Advertising Compliance Annual Report for 2020-21. Members commented that the annual report is an important education tool as it provides information about the TGA's advertising education, compliance and enforcement work throughout the past financial year. This report will be published on the TGA website in early September.
The TGA provided an update on its website redevelopment project. The aim of the website redevelopment is to build a clear navigational structure, provide intuitive pathways to information, ensure common tasks are logical and easy to complete, use language and labelling that is meaningful to all users, remove duplicate or out-of-date content and modernise the look and operation of the website.
The TGA provided an overview of its advertising compliance education activities, including recent stakeholder engagement to support the roll out of COVID-19 vaccinations and the two public webinars held during public consultation on the review of the Code. The TGACC also noted the publishing of the Advertising Compliance Education Strategy and Plan. The strategy and plan outline the education priorities that will assist with compliance outcomes that benefit consumers.
The next meeting of the TGACC is scheduled to take place in November 2021.