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Latest news
20 July 2011
GMiA welcomes the release of “The Review to improve the transparency of the Therapeutic Goods Administration”
The Generic Medicines Industry Association (GMiA) welcomes today’s release of, “The Review to improve the transparency of the Therapeutic Goods Administration”, the result of seven months of consultation and deliberation by a Panel broadly represented the main stakeholder groups of: consumers (four representatives); health practitioners (three representatives); the rural health sector (one representative); and the therapeutic goods industry (five representatives). GMiA was pleased to be one of the industry representatives sitting on the panel.
GMiA would like to commend the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) on the initiatives it has taken in recent years to increase knowledge by stakeholders of the role and the functions that it performs as acknowledged in the report.
GMiA also recognises that the expectations of the public are not being met and there is more that the TGA could do.
The TGA is obliged to serve multiple stakeholders and has had to do this within the funding confines of fees it is able to levy on the therapeutics goods industry. This is because the TGA is 100 per cent funded on a cost recovery basis soley by the therapeutic goods industry. No government funding is provided for the TGA’s functions.
GMiA cautions that a number of the recommendations made by the Panel have cost implications and any implementation of these recommendations must adhere to the Government’s guidelines of cost recovery. In particular, the guidelines state that, “costs that are not directly related or integral to the provision of products or services should not be recovered”. Department of Finance and Administration ‘Cost Recovery Guidelines’ July 2005.
GMiA reinforces the sentiments of the Panel Chair, “If the government is to accept and give effect to the Panel’s recommendations, it will be necessary for resources additional to those currently available to be found”. Forward of Report, Professor Dennis Pearce AO, Chair, Transparency Review Panel.
The Generic Medicines Industry Association (GMiA) is the national association representing companies that manufacture, supply and export generic medicines. The generic medicines sector is a high value-add sector delivering significant benefits to the Australian public by way of affordable medicines and high skilled jobs.