The Australasian College of Skin Cancer Medicine is concerned that members and other doctors may be prescribing pharmaceutical goods and skin products outside of regulator approved indications. This College has always taken a stance of advising usage of products and techniques of treatment that are approved by the appropriate regulators and with the highest level of evidence based medicine available. Products made by compounding pharmacists are often used to treat conditions based on a good level of evidence. Often this evidence is obtained using a similar product which is approved in the country of use. Unfortunately, usage of non approved products does not guarantee the same results.
In Australia, the Therapeutics Goods Administration (TGA) is the responsible authority for approving indications on products that claim a therapeutic benefit. Practitioners that use products for indications for which the product may not be approved could place themselves at substantial legal risk.
TGA publishes the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods. These can be found on this website at :
www.ebs.tga.gov.au/ebs/ANZTPAR/PublicWeb.nsf/cuMedicines?OpenView
Members are advised to continually update themselves with that listing so that they remain aware of what products are approved and the indications for which various products have TGA approval.
Any members proposing to recommend or prescribe goods and products for indications outside the TGA approved indications should seek independent advice. It is recommended they check with their insurers as to any risk.