Mia Freedman’s Mamamia has a combined online following of several million.Credit: Cybele Malinowski
Online, Atlus promotes consultations for treatment and wellness plans, using natural remedies.
Straight Up, a health and wellness public relations firm based in Paddington, Sydney, is also named as a respondent alongside Atlus, Mamamia, News Life Media and Jobanputra, seeking declarations and penalties.
In Australia, it is against the law to advertise prescription medicines, such as cannabis, directly to the public or publish testimonials and endorsements from certain people, such as doctors and nurses. (This is why we don’t see the US-style pharmaceutical ads for prescription drugs on Australian television or online).
It is also against the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 for advertisements to include what the TGA calls “prohibited representations”, which include the treatment, cure, prevention and diagnosis of cancer, sexually transmitted disease, HIV, hepatitis C and mental illness.
Advertisements for therapeutic goods can’t include “restricted representations” – which are serious forms of diseases or conditions that require management by a health professional – without the TGA approval.
Atlus, Mamamia and News Life had been warned over the alleged breaches on multiple occasions, said Professor Anthony Lawler, deputy secretary of the Department of Health, Disability and Ageing, as well as head of the TGA.
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“Advertising prescription medicines to the public can create an inappropriate demand for these medicines and undermine the relationship between a patient and their treating health practitioner. Appropriate treatment options should be determined by a health professional in consultation with their patient,” Lawler said.
“We continue to take enforcement action against the alleged unlawful import, export, supply, manufacture and advertising of therapeutic goods, including medicinal cannabis products.”
A spokesman for the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, the medico watchdog, said the agency was aware of the TGA announcement. “As these matters are before the courts, we cannot make any further comment,” the spokesman said.
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Mick Carroll, editor-in-chief of News Corp’s Free News and Lifestyle division was contacted for comment, alongside Mamamia, Straight Up and Atlus.
This masthead attempted to contact Jobanputra via clinics linked to the GP online. The phone line for one clinic linked to Jobanputra was disconnected, and a receptionist at a second practice said no doctor by that name was employed there.
Body + Soul has several hundreds of thousands of online followers, while Mamamia has a combined online following of several million. It was founded in 2007 by Freedman, a media personality and former magazine editor, initially as a blog. It now employs nearly 500 people, according to LinkedIn.
Freedman hosts Mamamia Out Loud, Australia’s fourth most popular podcast, according to the most recent figures from ratings agency Triton Digital.
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