Complementary Medicines Evaluation Committee (CMEC)

The Complementary Medicines Evaluation Committee (CMEC) provides scientific and policy advice relating to controls on the supply and use of complementary medicines. The CMEC provides this advice with particular reference to the safety and quality of products and, where appropriate, efficacy relating to the claims made for products.

CMEC members

Chair

Professor Tony Smith

Members

• Professor Alan Bensoussan
• Professor Stephen Myers
• Professor Bill Webster
• Associate Professor Heather Yeatman
• Dr Gary Deed
• Dr Vicki Kotsirilos
• Dr Richard Oppenheim
• Dr Lesley Braun
• Mr Kevin Ryan
• Mr Hans Wohlmuth
• Ms Karen Martin

Expert Advisory Panel

• Professor Marc Cohen
• Dr Timothy Carr
• Mr Philip Daffy
• Mr John Lumby
• Mr Robert Medhurst
• Ms Robyn Minski

Secretary

• Dr David Briggs

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Functions of CMEC

Extract from the Therapeutic Goods Regulations 1990.

42ZE Committee's evaluating function

1. The Committee may evaluate, and report to the Minister or Secretary about any of the following:
   1. a complementary medicine;
   2. an ingredient in a complementary medicine;
   3. a kind of ingredient in a complementary medicine;
   4. a therapeutic good specified by the Minister or the Secretary for this regulation.
2. The matters to be included in a report include a recommendation about the following, as applicable:
   1. whether or not a complementary medicine should remain in the Register;
   2. whether or not a complementary medicine should be included in the Register;
   3. whether or not an ingredient or kind of ingredient should be included in Schedule 14, or mentioned in Schedule 4 as the therapeutically active ingredient in a preparation mentioned in item 3 of Part 1 of that Schedule.

42ZF Committee may give advice to Minister or Secretary

1. The Committee may, in relation to a thing mentioned in subregulation 42ZE (1), give the Minister or Secretary scientific and policy advice about the following matters, as applicable:
   1. the import or export of the complementary medicine, ingredient, kind of ingredient or therapeutic good;
   2. registration or listing of the complementary medicine, ingredient, kind of ingredient or therapeutic good;
   3. the manufacture, supply and use of the complementary medicine, ingredient, kind of ingredient or therapeutic good.
   Note For the definition of supply, see subsection 3 (1) of the Act.
2. An advice given about a thing mentioned in subregulation (1) may include, as applicable:
   1. the Committee's opinion about its safety; and
   2. an assessment of short-term and long-term risks and claimed benefits of its use; and
   3. the Committee's opinion about its quality; and
   4. the Committee's opinion about its efficacy; and
   5. if the advice is about a therapeutic good - the Committee's opinion about the indications of the good; and
   6. if the advice is about a therapeutic good in relation to which a claim has been made to which subsection 28 (6) of the Act applies, the advice may also include:
      1. the Committee's opinion about the claim; and
      2. the Committee's opinion about the amount, standard or type of information or evidence used to support a claim.
   Note For the definition of indications, see subsection 3 (1) of the Act.

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CMEC meeting dates

CMEC Meeting Number	Meeting Date
65	22 February 2008
66	18 April 2008
67	20 June 2008
68	15 August 2008
69	10 October 2008
70	5 December 2008

CMEC contact details

Postal address:

Therapeutic Goods Administration
Department of Health and Ageing
PO Box 100, Woden ACT 2606

Telephone: 02 6232 8439

Fax: 02 6232 8577

Email: david.briggs@tga.gov.au

CMEC scientific reports

How to access a pdf document

Honey - scientific report (December 1998) (pdf,72kb)
An evaluation of the safety of honey for use in listable medicines

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