Below are listed the members of the TGA Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling. These are the people who advised the TGA to block any qualified General Practitioners or respiratory physicians from prescribing Ivermectin for the treatment of Covid-19.
I am not in a position to say Ivermectin works or not. I am in a position to say that doctors should be allowed to prescribed a known and safe drug off-label (that is, for unapproved indications) when there is a reasonable body of evidence suggesting it works. This is the norm for off-label use, and is an essential part of medical discretion, and more importantly, the progress of medical science.
Off-label use is common, and provided it meets quite reasonable guidelines, is well within the bounds of good medical practice. Doctors traditionally have a lot of discretion with off-label prescribing. In fact, in NSW at September 2021 most recommended treatments for Covid-19 are being used off-label.
These documents explain the standard approaches to off-label prescription:
- MJA article 2006 Off-label use of medicines: consensus recommendations for evaluating appropriateness
- Council of Australian Therapeutic Advisory Groups 2013 Guiding Principles for the quality use of off-label medicines
- TGA Medicines Safety Update, Vol 8, No 4 2017
- Australian Prescriber, 2013 NPS MedicineWise, Off-Label Prescribing
- Professional Practice Guideline 4: ‘Off-label’ prescribing in psychiatry, May 2018
This Page
This is a list of names and some contact details for the Commonwealth-appointed and state-nominated members of the TGA Advisory Committee on Medicines Scheduling. All information below is publicly available. I have merely collected it. It will remain here unless I am advised that it is incorrect.
I examine the nature and background of the Committee elsewhere. It is heavy with the politically-connected, the not-terribly-specialised, and the bureaucratic. Oddly, the two most senior technical academics have a strong focus in credentials, cannabis or opioids, virtue-signalling LinkedIn posts, and getting on Boards.
The first 8 are Federally-appointed, the remainder are all bureaucrats nominated by State and Commonwealth.
Associate Professor Suzanne Nielsen, Deputy Director of the Monash Addiction Research Centre
- E: suzanne.nielsen@monash.edu
- E Institutional: marc.info@monash.edu
- P: 03 9904 4262
- Monash Addiction Research Centre
Monash University
Peninsula Campus
Level 3, Building G
Moorooduc Hwy
Frankston VIC 3199
Dr Jennifer Martin, Chair of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle
- E: jen.martin@newcastle.edu.au
- P: 02 4042 0851
Julie Viatos, Quality Use of Medicines Manager, Consumer Healthcare Products Australia
CHP is the industry association/lobby group for peddlers and manufacturers of non-prescription medicines. Her areas of expertise include Consumer Medicines Information, Labelling and Packaging, Medicines Scheduling and Advertising.
- P Institutional: (02) 9922 5111
- Suite 1, Level 2/35 Chandos St, St Leonards NSW 2065
PO Box 209, St Leonards NSW 1590
John Stubbs, Consumer Advocate
BA, Dip Acct. Longstanding Consumer Health Representative in several areas
Associate Professor Michael Ward, Pharmacy Education, UniSA Clinical & Health Sciences
- E: Michael.Ward@unisa.edu.au
- P: 08 830 22838
- City West Campus (HB6-15)
Dr Diana Robinson, Sport and Exercise Physician, Sydney Sportsmed Specialists
- P Institutional : 02 9231 0102
- W: https://www.sportsdoc.com.au/diana-robinson.html
- Park House Level 3
187 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000
Dr Danielle McMullen, GP, President AMA (NSW)
- P Institutional : 02 9516 2944
- 280 Church St, Newtown 2042 NSW
Lubna Tabassum, Canberra Pharmacist
Pharmacist in the Holt area of ACT. No other presence
Dr Jane Cook – Commonwealth
First Assistant Secretary, Medicines Regulation, Commonwealth Department of Health
- E: jane.cook@health.gov.au
- P: 02 6289 4210
- Government Directory
- 136 Narrabundah Lane, Symonston ACT
GPO Box 9848, CANBERRA, ACT 2601
Viven Bevan – ACT
Chief Pharmacist ACT, Interim CEO at Women’s Health Matters
- E: vivien.bevan@act.gov.au
- P Institutional : 02 6205 0961
Peter Gilfedder – NSW
Pharmaceutical Services, NSW Ministry of Health
- P Insto: 02 9391-9944.
Helgi Stone – NT
NT Health Department
- E: Helgi.stone@nt.gov.au
- P Institutional : 08 8922 7035
Angela Fitzhenry – SA
SA Health Department
- E: angela.fitzhenry@sa.gov.au
- P Institutional : 08 8226 6169
Sam Halliday – Tasmania
Acting Chief Pharmacist
- E: sam.halliday@health.tas.gov.au
- P Institutional : 03 6166 0400
Jane Carpenter – WA
Regulatory Pharmacist, WA Department of Health, Medicines and Poisons Regulation Branch
Wendy Yang – Victoria
Victorian Department of Health and Human Services, Medicines and Poisons Regulation Branch
Julie Stokes – Queensland
Medicines Regulation and Quality, Queensland Health
- E: julie_a_stokes@health.qld.gov.au
- P: 07 3131 6525
List of publications; very focused on pharmacist interventions