At the June Senate Estimates I asked several questions of the Therapeutic Goods Association (TGA).
I asked what the TGA was doing to help Australians access a potential new antibacterial to overcome antimicrobial resistance, medicinal cannabis, and off-label Ivermectin. What this trio of medicines has in common is that they are not profitable for pharma because, in the case of the first two, they cannot be patented and patents are how pharma makes its $billions.
Ivermectin is an award-winning drug with a huge body of evidence supporting both its anti-parasitic and anti-viral activity. Because it’s been around for over 70 years, is off-patent and inexpensive, there is little interest from pharma in sponsoring the drug. See how it works? These medications should not be left behind because of pharmaceutical company profit margins.
From the answers provided by the TGA, it’s clear that health products that don’t add to the wealth of pharmaceutical companies have no chance of approval under this Government. The TGA should be acting in the best interests of the Australian people, not the profit margins of big pharma.
Transcript
Senator Roberts: Given the backflip, Mr Fletcher, by the TGA that now allows the prescribing of ivermectin, which can be used off label as treatment for COVID—the TGA makes it clear that it does not endorse
it as a treatment but now allows it as a treatment for COVID—what is the attitude of Ahpra towards those doctors now who were cast aside because they supported ivermectin?
Mr Fletcher: Any regulatory action we have taken or would take in relation to a health practitioner would always take account of the public health advice at the time that the alleged concern occurred.
Senator Roberts: The public advice was wrong.
Mr Fletcher: It would be on the basis of the advice that was in place at the time.
Senator Roberts: Isn’t it strange that ivermectin started off as a highly regarded, very safe drug, given in four billion doses around the world, and then we were told that it was a dangerous drug, and now it’s remarkably safe again with a worldwide profile of being a safe treatment for COVID-19?
Prof. Murphy: Senator, I do have to intervene. There is no change. There is no recommendation that ivermectin be used for COVID. The regulatory changes—
Senator Roberts: I didn’t say that. I said to the contrary. I said the TGA does not endorse them.
Prof. Murphy: No, it’s not—
Senator Roberts: I did not say that there was an endorsement.
Prof. Murphy: No, there isn’t an endorsement. But the change in the regulation has nothing to do with any change in its efficacy or otherwise for COVID simply to reflect the changing circumstances and there’s no need to keep what’s a very unusual restriction on a drug. The TGA as decided it’s no longer proportionate, but there’s still no evidence of any value.
Senator Roberts: So what changed with the TGA?
Prof. Murphy: What changed with the TGA? We’ll get the TGA to address that.
Senator Gallagher: They’re due this evening.
Senator Roberts: Okay. Ahpra never did its own research on the COVID injections and relied on what it was told by the TGA. You said that a little while ago. The TGA never did its own research. In answering a
question that I put to them at the last estimates it relied instead on what it was told by the FDA. It has never assessed the patient-level data.
Prof. Murphy: This is not a question for Ahpra.
Senator Roberts: I’m getting to that.
Chair: Senator Roberts, could you put it as a question?
Senator Roberts: Are you aware that the TGA, which you rely on, has never assessed the patient-level data.
Mr Fletcher: As I said earlier, the sources of public health advice to us are the TGA, ATAGI and the public health officials in each state and territory and the Commonwealth health department.
Senator Roberts: Are you aware that the TGA relied on the FDA and that the FDA itself, in America, never did its own research and relied simply on what Pfizer told it? According to its own records, Pfizer only ever
did limited research and knew the vaccines injections were of limited value and had a significant risk profile. Pfizer lied when it said the vaccines were safe and effective, and Ahpra peddled this lie. You enforced that lie.
Chair: Senator Roberts, this is not a question. It’s very hard for me to maintain order if you don’t put questions.
Senator Roberts: Are you aware of the facts that I’ve just said about Pfizer? Are you aware of those facts?
Prof. Murphy: These are questions for the TGA. It’s not a question for Ahpra.
Senator Roberts: I want to know is he aware of what the TGA based their decision on?
Chair: Senator, if officials at the table indicate that this is not the appropriate place within the program to ask a question, we do need to respect that. My understanding of what Professor Murphy has said is that there is a time for these questions, and that is when we return to the TGA.
Senator Roberts: Thank you, Chair. I notice your silence. Why isn’t Ahpra aware of the false, fraudulent science underpinning the use of the vaccine?
Senator Gallagher: We don’t agree with that.
Senator Roberts: Thank you for answering, Minister. Why does Ahpra still support the use of the injections now that there is a body of respected, peer-reviewed science condemning the use of the so-called
vaccines? Is it because the TGA—
Senator Gallagher: It’s not a matter for Ahpra.
Senator Roberts: How can so many deaths and serious injuries attributed to the vaccines continue to be ignored by Ahpra?
Prof. Murphy: Again, that is not a matter for Ahpra.
Senator Roberts: Ahpra are silent, okay.
Senator Gallagher: It’s not ‘silent’. It’s not a matter they have responsibility for. Witnesses come here to answer questions on areas they have responsibility for.
Senator Roberts: You’ve just taken responsibility for their response. That’s fine. Given that Ahpra—
Chair: Senator Roberts, we have dealt with this issue over the last few days. It is appropriate for the minister to respond to our questions put to the witnesses if that question is not put in the correct place or is not
within that purview. It’s appropriate for Senator Gallagher to respond. Do you have another question, Senator Roberts?
Senator Roberts: Given that Ahpra is a board, I would suggest that board members are jointly responsible for the outcomes of their directions to health practitioners which now include the countless death and serious
injuries that have befallen many otherwise healthy people who took the injections believing they were safe and effective, when they were not. Are you aware that board members will be culpable?
Senator Gallagher: They will not. It’s not their—
Senator Roberts: Can you give me the qualifications of every board member—their medical qualifications?
Senator Gallagher: I reject your assertions. I just want to be very clear. I’m not going to speak for everyone, but my position here is that we do not agree with the assertions you are continuously putting in this hearing.
Senator Roberts: That’s fine, Minister. I hear you. The board members—can you give me their qualifications, Mr Fletcher?
Prof. Murphy: The Ahpra board is a board that regulates the operations of the agency. The decisions around registration standards are made by the national boards, like the Medical Board, which is comprised of community and qualified practitioners. The board of Ahpra is simply a governance board of the bureaucratic operations of Ahpra. The decisions—
Senator Roberts: A governance board?
Prof. Murphy: It does not govern the regulatory decisions. Those decisions are made by the relevant professional national boards, as Mr Fletcher has pointed out on many occasions.
Senator Roberts: State bodies?
Prof. Murphy: National boards. There’s a national Medical Board, a national nursing board—
Senator Roberts: So why do we need Ahpra? They’re not accountable.
Prof. Murphy: Ahpra is the organisation that brings the work of those boards and sets up a national regulation system to enable practitioners to be regulated across the country. It is a means of bringing them together. This is professional registration, so each of those boards—
Senator Roberts: And deregistration. I’d like the qualifications, Mr Fletcher, on notice, of your board members, their qualifications in medicine, specifically what qualifications they have, and I’d like to know who
appointed them. Can you take that on notice?
Prof. Murphy: It’s on the website.
Senator Gallagher: It is on the website, look it up. In relation to profession-specific, as Professor Murphy said, there is the Medical Board, which has representatives; there’s nursing; there’s a whole range of them. They used to be the state and territory boards; they came together to be national boards. They would have different representatives.
Senator Roberts: Can you tell me who appointed each of the members?
Mr Fletcher: The national board members are appointed by state, territory and Commonwealth health ministers.
Senator Roberts: And Ahpra?
Mr Fletcher: The Ahpra board is also appointed by state and territory health ministers and the Commonwealth health minister.
Chair: Thank you very much, Ahpra. We appreciate your favourable response to our request to join us at Senate estimates.
The purpose of the TGA has always been to regulate the market share of pharma companies in the Australian market. If the share was not regulated, and competition broke out, profit margins would fall.
The Big Pharma group actually divides the world amongst themselves to ensure a fair distribution of the market between each member.
The TGA are corrupt by design and are a criminal organisation solely in the service of the Pharmaceutical Mafia to ensure the health and well being remains in the hands of the murdeous sociopaths that promote eugenics as a way of making mankind nothing more than stock they can liquidate at their own corrupt discretion.
The Covid19 Coup D’état has accelerated and highlighted the power of generational crime families that are best described as demonic terrorists
The TGA are corrupt by design and are a criminal organisation solely in the service of the Pharmaceutical Mafia to ensure the health and well being of the human herd remains in the hands of the murdeous sociopaths that promote eugenics as a way of making mankind nothing more than stock they can liquidate at their own corrupt discretion.
The Covid19 Coup D’état has accelerated and highlighted the power of generational crime families that are best described as demonic terrorists
The civil sevants have llittle idea of honesty and integrity and just look after themselves. Truly modern leadership is without merit and worthy of the denegration they receive. Yes minister was not a comedy – it was a true representaion of how things are.
Wow, they found your questions quite uncomfortable Senator. It seems
That they found it best to just try to ignore them and give no meaningful response, which means they know they have done wrong by the people, and are hiding from it.
After listening to several senate enquiries or whatever they are called, I’m beginning to see how difficult it is for any elected member who is working for the best interests of the Australian people that they represent, to get any accountability out of those responsible for bad outcomes.
The other issue is having advice and submissions ignored by governments who then make bad laws because the politicians aren’t working in the best interests of their constituents.
How frustrating it must be to know that you are doing the right thing but have so many working against you.