Tony Quinn products may be withdrawn following inquiry by Medicines Board
Sunday Tribune, Richard Oakley
THE controversial, self-styled health guru Tony Quinn may be asked to remove some of his diet and body-building products from shop shelves as a result of an investigation by the state’s main regulatory body for medicines.
Within the next 10 days, Quinn’s complete range of health and well-being products, sold in his stores throughout the country, are to be examined at a meeting of the classification committee of the Irish Medicines Board (IMB).
The IMB has refused to comment on the matter other than to say that a “decision will be taken as to what course of action will be carried out” at the meeting.
However, The Sunday Tribune understands that Quinn may soon be asked to justify claims made for his products and could even be required to apply for a licence for others.
He may also have to stop selling some products if the IMB decides this is necessary. The IMB is understood to be particularly interested in products which are marketed on the basis of medicinal claims.
The IMB’s investigations into Tony Quinn products have been ongoing for a number of years. As part of its own investigation into Quinn and his organisation in early 2001.
The Sunday Tribune revealed that the IMB had warned Quinn about the over-the-counter selling of two of his food supplements and was considering taking similar action in relation to a third.
Quinn was told to make two changes to products the IMB believed were being sold as medicines, and to labels and advertising brochures which were making medicinal claims for these products.
It is understood that the IMB has since examined another Quinn-labelled nutritional product, a so-called life extension mix, on similar grounds.
Legally, a medicinal product cannot be marketed without authorisation. If it is categorised as medicinal or makes medicinal claims, the manufacturer must apply for a product authorisation from the IMB and the board is then obliged to carry out a stringent assessment to ensure it is what it says it is and does what is claimed.
Martin Forde, a member of the Tony Quinn organisation who has acted as a spokesman for Quinn, said this weekend that he had no knowledge of the IMB’s planned meeting, He said the Tony Quinn organisation was interested in working with the IMB and and had been doing so but he refused to comment any further.
During last year’s investigation, however, Forde said the organisation had never sought authorisation for its products because it had no wish to sell any as medicines, but only as food supplements, which do not require a licence.
Forde also confirmed at that time that the organisation had made a number literature relating to products following the IMB’s approaches.
He said that the company had changed a statement in its literature for a liver supplement in order to remove any suggestion of a medicinal claim.
He said it was also mistakenly asked to make changes to another product because its old brochure made reference to St John’s Wort, which had been classified as prescription only, when this ingredient had already been removed.
The IMB refused to give any more details on the cases and also declined to elaborate on its concerns relating to a third product,a ‘life-extension mix’, sold in Quinn health stores.
The Sunday Tribune investigation into Quinn raised serious concerns about other claims made relating to his mind education courses. Two leading psychiatrists said central claims made by Quinn when explaining his mind advancement theory were without scientific validation.
Quinn, a multi-millionaire, charges people around €20,000 to attend courses held in exotic places such as the Bahamas or Egypt. His controversial courses became popular after he appeared on the Late Late Show to speak about his training of the world champion Irish boxer Steve Collins.
Quinn has been accused by experienced hypnotists of attempting to influence people while they are under his control.
In tapes obtained by this newspaper, he can be heard telling people how to sell his seminars to others while they are attending his lectures.