Mal Vickers coming to Skepticon 2023

Mal Vickers is a skeptical activist with a singular focus on shonky so-called treatments, and the much-to-be-desired responses of regulators responsible for keeping our community safe.

According to Skepticon 2023 website:

Mal Vickers

In 2016 Mal received the ‘Skeptic of the Year’ award, jointly with Dr Ken Harvey for complaints about chiropractors. While studying towards a Master of Public Health, Mal investigated the complementary medicines market using the complaints made about its advertising and products. Mal is a mild-mannered bio-medical engineer and enjoys photography and tinkering in his workshop.

Working with Dr. Ken Harvey Mal has been instrumental in targeting false claims that can harm consumers. They reported on persistent non-evidence based claims in breach of the Chiropractic Board and AHPRA guidelines, and the absence of appropriate responses from these regulators.

Mal and Ken published the first review of the TGA’s Complaints Resolution Panel over its entire 19 year life. The analysis comprehensively demonstrated the failure of the TGA to ensure regulatory compliance by advertisers of complementary medicines.

While our regulatory system is meant to rein in violations, from 1999 to 2018 complaints and established breaches of the law greatly increased. 
At Skepticon, Mal will peel back the layers of misleading advertising that ultimately wastes people’s time and money. 

How do the companies behind these products get away with it? And, who tops the list for unethical behaviour? 

Mal is also on social media:

• Facebook
• Twitter / X

You can still get tickets to Skepticon for either the physical or online experience.

Complementary Medicines, Advertising Reform and the TGA

by Dr Ken Harvey, with an introduction by Ken Greatorex

To set the scene for those not familiar with the glacial machinations of Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration: Until recently in Australia we had a complaint process whereby if you wanted to complain about the advertising of a particular listed medicine, you submitted. to the Complaints Resolution Panel. It was woefully under resourced, but it did its job, carried out inquiries then reported established breaches in conduct to the TGA. The TGA acted – sometimes.

Then things changed. Against the urging of such groups as The Australian Skeptics, Friends of Science in Medicine, Choice and other consumer advocates, the TGA became the body which dealt directly with such complaints. 

As one who attended and absorbed the excellent review from Professor Harvey and three of his students, the result of this change has been:

• totally predictable
• disappointing

 

(left to right: Mal Vickers, Kithmini Cooray, Mary Malek, Ken Harvey)

Speakers:

• Mal Vickers, Analysis of old and new advertising complaint systems
• Mary Malek, TGA consultation on “low risk” products
• Kithmini Cooray, Bright Brains (Bacopa Monnieri) TGA complaint

Discussion:

The audience did not agree that the ongoing advertising of ‘Bright Brains’, illustrated by Kithmini, had achieved compliance with the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code 2015. In short, they disagreed with the TGA outcome statement about this complaint.

2016 Australian Skeptics Convention – Latest

AUSTRALIAN SKEPTICS NATIONAL CONVENTION 2016

is at The Carrillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, University of Melbourne from 25-27 November,

https://maps.unimelb.edu.au/parkville/building/158/carrillo_gantner

with the annual Dinner at

The Leopard Lodge, Melbourne Zoo on Saturday evening 26 November.

Early-bird ticket sales will cease on June 30.