KEY POINTS:
Legislation that would set up a new trans-Tasman regulatory regime for complementary medicines has come in for sustained criticism at its first public hearing.
MPs on Parliament's government administration committee began hearing submissions today after the bill squeaked through its first reading on a vote of 61 to 60.
Since then the Government's majority has potentially evaporated with newly independent Mangere MP Taito Phillip Field saying he will oppose it.
The bill would tighten the regulation of medicines, complementary medicines and medical devices by harmonising New Zealand regulations with the stricter Australian regime.
Under the proposed new regime complementary medicines such as vitamins and herbs would have to pass through a tough testing and quality control regime in order to be available for sale.
Opponents say the tighter rules are unnecessary and the cost of complying would squeeze out small producers.
Wellington woman Cheryl Cameron said she had used mixtures of Chinese herbs for years.
However under the new regime the products she used would have to undergo testing for each of the herbs they contained.
The market in New Zealand was small meaning the manufacturer would not be prepared to pay to become registered even though they were approved by the United States Federal Drug Administration and were available through much of Europe.
She said the plant herbs were safe and there was no evidence of adverse reactions.
Another woman, Anne-Marie Richards said she had used inhaled steroids until she was 23 to control her asthma, suffering the side effects of anxiety and disturbed sleep. Now she controlled it through a mixture of complementary medicines, without side effects.
She said she did not want to see the bill go through as many of the products she used would be squeezed out -- not because they were unsafe, but because the manufacturers were too small to afford the compliance process.
The two women were among five people to speak against the bill in the first hour of submissions.
But Foundation for Advertising Research spokesman Glen Wiggs said he supported the bill, as long as technical adjustments were made to make it clear media should not be liable if they unwittingly carried advertisements by companies in breach of the regulations.
Regulation was necessary as most complementary products made veiled therapeutic claims, yet were currently classed as food under New Zealand's regulatory regime.
The Government mustered the votes to get the bill over its first parliamentary hurdle by offering to initially subsidise 50 of the cost of the new regulation to producers and negotiating with Australia so New Zealand would have an equal say in the new regime.
The new rules would be phased in over five years.
- NZPA
