Tightening regulations governing weight loss products will validate the remedies that have been proven to work and strengthen pharmacy's position, according to the profession's peak body.
Reports in the mainstream media today suggested that the Federal Government was planning to follow the recommendations of its Preventative Health Taskforce and clamp down on claims and practices of the weight loss industry.
A spokeswoman for Health Minister Nicola Roxon said the claims were all "speculation" and could only say that a report by the taskforce would be released "soon".
However, Pharmacy Guild president Kos Sclavos nonetheless welcomed any moves to better regulate the industry to ensure only evidence-based products were allowed to make weight loss claims.
"If there are products such as detox or alike making claims not substantiated by data then the Guild supports that advertising be made stricter because consumers, especially in the area of weight loss, are susceptible to miracle cures," Mr Sclavos told Pharmacy News.
"There are two types of weight loss products. There are meal replacements which are basically kilojoule-controlled diets. Obviously there is evidence that they work. And then there is also products that claim to cause weight loss. Some are evidence-based like Xenical and some have limited evidence."
Weight loss products and the practices of dietary consultants were the subjects of a recent investigation by consumer advocacy group Choice, which claimed that consultants in pharmacies were poorly trained, provided "inadequate" information and tried to cajole patients into paying for extra products.
According to Mr Sclavos, bad press about the weight loss industry has hurt pharmacy's reputation.
"It is unfair on pharmacy when obesity is a growing epidemic and people are looking for help from the most accessible of all health professions, the pharmacists," he said.
"So we would welcome and would work with any output coming from any Government reviews and we actually think all that it would do is strengthen pharmacy's position."
Mr Sclavos claimed the credibility of the weight loss industry was being further dented by "unscrupulous operators" pretending to be qualified medical practitioners.
"Claims must be made by health professionals or people who have undergone training but nothing is going to stop someone wearing a white coat and a stethoscope and passing off as a doctor," he said.
"They've actually broken no law and, theoretically, they are getting around the law now. It's very hard to regulate because we are talking about a very emotive area such as weight loss and that is why I think the strongest control must be on ensuring that the claims made by products are efficacious and evidence-based."