A prominent weight loss pill will be banned from sale after Australian regulators deemed there was no medical evidence it could lead to the weight loss advertised.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) removed FatBlaster Max – Australia’s leading weight loss supplement – from shelves across the country on Monday including at Coles, Woolworths, and Priceline after its creators registered the medicine without any weight loss properties.
“The TGA considers that the name ‘FatBlaster’, as used on the label for FatBlaster Max and on a website where Cat Media Pty Ltd advertised that medicine, would be understood by consumers to represent that the medicine causes loss of body fat and therefore weight loss,” they said.
“When the medicine was listed on [the register], however, Cat Media Pty Ltd had not included weight loss or body fat loss in the list of indications for the medicine. Thus, the TGA is unable to ensure that the medicine is effective for this advertised purpose.”
Consumers were recommended by the FatBlaster Max creators – who are sponsored by Cat Media – to take one tablet every three hours, with each pill containing the same amount of caffeine as a cup of instant coffee.
In the past, stockists could continue to sell medicine until it is sold out, although manufacturing and importing of the product must cease.
University of Queensland researcher and Accredited Practising Dietician, Dr Veronique Chachay, told NCA NewsWire “it’s about time” the “misleading” product was banned from sale.
“You know, it’s a big jungle out there with marketing companies spreading misinformation; it’s a problem,” she said.
“Having this being taken off the shelf is only a little drop in a big ocean of issues, but still, it’s a step.”
“People need to understand that weight loss doesn‘t happen this way. There’s no magic pill.”
A FatBlaster representative told NCA NewsWire they are “disappointed” by the TGA’s decision to cancel the product.
“The TGA’s requirements have changed during the years that FatBlaster Max Tablets have been listed on the market and FatBlaster has taken great care to update all packaging, advertising and claims to ensure compliance with these requirements,” they said.
“FatBlaster products have been used by thousands of people as part of a holistic approach to health and wellness and the listing cancellation does not impact the wider FatBlaster range.”
Cat Media has since applied to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal to action against the TGA’s decision.
In October 2020, the same company was fined multiple times for illegally advertising FatBlaster Max before the products had been registered.
Last month, Cat Media was slapped with an additional fine of $39,960 for unlawfully advertising three of its other products – which were not yet registered – on the Chinese language section of its website.
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