Lorna Jane fined almost $40,000 for 'anti-virus activewear' line - Brisbane Times

Under the Therapeutic Goods Act, references to COVID-19 and related terms in advertising are unlawful without prior formal approval. Therapeutic goods must be included in the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.

"This kind of advertising could have detrimental consequences for the Australian community, creating a false sense of security and leading people to be less vigilant about hygiene and social distancing," Health Department deputy secretary Professor John Skerritt said.

Comment has been sought from Lorna Jane. A company spokeswoman has previously said the clothing line was named at the start of the year when work on it began and the label "didn't want to mislead anyone".

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners on Wednesday accused the company of peddling false claims. Its president, Dr Harry Nespolon, said he suspected the company had been "cynically trying to exploit" fears around the pandemic to sell clothes.

"If you spray their product onto any fabric and expect that it will act as a 'shield of protection' for you by breaking through the 'membrane shell of any toxic diseases', I have some bad news for you – this will not happen," he said.

"The only thing that will be 'terminated' by the 'shield particles' is the money in your bank account."

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Lorna Jane's website described the "exclusive technology" as a "water-based, non-toxic mist" that "permanently adheres to our garments".

"Any bacteria that comes in contact with the fabric is terminated when it comes in touch with the LJ Shield particles," it said.

"LJ Shield breaks through the membrane shell of bacteria or germs that come into contact with it, not only killing that microbe but preventing it from multiplying into anymore."

"We are not trying to profiteer in any way on the fear around COVID-19 because we were developing this and working with our partners on this before the outbreak," a spokesperson said on Thursday.

"Our testing shows that LJ Shield is an important part of stopping the spread of both bacteria and viral infections and should be used in combination with other precautionary measures such as face masks and thorough and frequent hand washing."

The company is only the latest to have caught the eye of the TGA amid the pandemic. A Perth doctor was fined $37,800 for alleged unlawful advertising of therapeutic goods in relation to COVID-19 on his website.

Former celebrity chef Pete Evans was fined $25,200 in April for marketing a $15,000 light frequency machine called a BioCharger which claimed it could treat the "Wuhan coronavirus".

- with Hanna Mills Turbet

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https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMihwFodHRwczovL3d3dy5icmlzYmFuZXRpbWVzLmNvbS5hdS9uYXRpb25hbC9xdWVlbnNsYW5kL2xvcm5hLWphbmUtZmluZWQtYWxtb3N0LTQwLTAwMC1mb3ItYW50aS12aXJ1cy1hY3RpdmV3ZWFyLWxpbmUtMjAyMDA3MTctcDU1ZDZhLmh0bWzSAYcBaHR0cHM6Ly9hbXAuYnJpc2JhbmV0aW1lcy5jb20uYXUvbmF0aW9uYWwvcXVlZW5zbGFuZC9sb3JuYS1qYW5lLWZpbmVkLWFsbW9zdC00MC0wMDAtZm9yLWFudGktdmlydXMtYWN0aXZld2Vhci1saW5lLTIwMjAwNzE3LXA1NWQ2YS5odG1s?oc=5

2020-07-17 09:49:00Z
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