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Saturday, March 18, 2006
Law to require herbal makers to soften claims
By Danilo V. Adorador III
SO WHAT'S the dialect for "No Approved Therapeutic Claims?"
Herbal medicine and supplement makers may have to start sorting that out, as the Visayan version of the waiver would soon see print in their products.
Others said they're contemplating how the rather unconventional product waiver-system -- expected to become a law soon -- would affect their merchandise's salability.
As a booming local industry that relies on aggressive promotion, herbal makers are prone to exaggerate therapeutic claims in their advertisements to lure costumers, councilors in the health committee say.
The move to have herbal products translate the required waiver to a popular dialect would soften "overstatements" in their broadcast promotions, councilors said in defending the proposed measure, which is now on its final draft in the committee.
"In proposing this measure, we are only encouraging one important aspect in business: the importance of telling the truth," Councilor Simeon Licayan, committee chairman said.
"If this product has no approved therapeutic effects, then there's no harm in telling so," added Licayan.
Some herbal makers are wary, saying, the Visayan version of the waiver might be interpreted by the masses in a negative light and cause decline in sales.
"If we translate 'No Approved Therapeutic Claims?' to 'Walay aprobadong panambal nga giangkon,' that the product's salability would suffer is not far-fetched," said one local herbal seller who asked not to be named.
Others just simply find the "No Therapeutic Effect" -- another product waiver that must be translated when the health committee measure becomes a law --incriminating.
"If you translate these words, it would simply say 'Wala'y epekto' and that is just damning for the product," said Tessie Lacuña, herbal supplement dealer in Barangay Carmen.
The proposed law also deemed it unlawful for any medium to accept advertisements from unlicensed herbal companies.
(March 18, 2006 issue)
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