MEDICAL ADVERTISING

Grey River Argus, 11 January 1943, Page 4

MEDICAL ADVERTISING

BOARD TO SUPERVISE.

WIDE FIELD COVERED.

WELLINGTON. Jan. 9. Close supervision of medical advertisements will begin this month under the powers given in the Medical Advertisement Act, passed during a recent session. The first active step will be the announcement by the Minister of Health (the Hon. A. H. Nordmeyer) of the personnel of the controlling board, which is to comprise the Director-General of Health (Dr. M H. Watt) as chairman, an analyst, a medical practitioner, and two others, appointed by the Gover-nor-General.

The term “advertisements” covers a very wide field, as it includes any spoken or written words, pictures and drawings. The ' commodities coming within the scope, of the law compr.se those containing drugs, as . well as cosmetics and dentifrices, and it win be the duty of. the board to examine the claims made in respect of all tiled# commodities, and pass judgment even on testimonials, which embody statements regarding their efficacy. This class of legislation is not new in the Dominion, though the Quackery Prevention Act, passed many years ago, does not seem to have been adequate to deal with the subject. The farming community, however, is effectively protected from exploitation in respect to stock remedies. For some time it has been necessary for the vendors of these lines to submit to a. Stock Remedies Board the exact formula and all the advertising relating to the product. Quite a number of stock remedies have ceased to be marketed as the result of the board's decision that they are ineffective to deal with the diseases they enumerate, but the position of more reliable products has been improved by tins weeding-out process. It will be interesting to see whether the Medical Advertisements Board will follow the precedent made by those administering the Stock Remedies Act, under which no product, can be advertised as a cure for any ailment. The most that can publicly claimed for it is that it constitutes a remedy.