NZFSA investigating whether products sold in NZ

NZFSA investigating whether products sold in NZ

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority is investigating whether the products of an Australian dietary supplement and pharmaceutical manufacturer at the centre of a major recall in Australia are sold in New Zealand.

Australia’s national regulator of medicines and other therapeutic goods, the Therapeutic Goods Administration, yesterday suspended the licence of Pan Pharmaceuticals and requested the recall of 219 of its products because of “serious concerns about the quality and safety of products manufactured by this company”.

“The NZFSA is working with Medsafe at the Ministry of Health on this issue. We need to ascertain just what products manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals are on the New Zealand market,” NZFSA’s Executive Director Andrew McKenzie says.

“We are aware there are products here but it is complicated by the fact that Pan Pharmaceuticals manufactures products under contract to a wide range of other companies. Information on this is still coming to light,” Dr McKenzie says.

“We have contacted the company to ask it to supply this information and to recall those products currently being recalled in Australia, in New Zealand as well. They have undertaken to do that,” Dr McKenzie says.

“In the meantime we suggest that if consumers have any concerns about any products manufactured by Pan Pharmaceuticals they visit the TGA website http:// http://www.tga.health.gov.au. We would also advise consumers to stop taking any of the products listed on the website currently being recalled.”

The New Zealand Food Safety Authority is responsible for the regulation of dietary supplements under the Dietary Supplements Regulations 1985 and the Food Act 1981. Medsafe is responsible for the regulation of medicines under the Medicines Act 1981.

“We understand there are three medicines registered in New Zealand and Medsafe is dealing with those. In relation to other products, the NZFSA is working with a number of organisations involved in the dietary supplement industry including the Pharmacy Guild and the National Nutritional Foods Association on this issue.”

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