MELBOURNE-BASED law firm Polaris Lawyers is investigating a potential class action on behalf of anyone who has suffered injuries after taking Blackmores vitamin supplements containing higher than recommended levels of vitamin B6.
Polaris Lawyers represents Dominic Noonan-O'Keeffe as the lead plaintiff in a potential class action against Blackmores.
In May 2023, Noonan-O'Keeffe purchased and started taking Blackmores vitamin supplements to maintain his health, and by Aug was experiencing significant fatigue, headaches, muscle spasms, neuralgia, heart palpitations, visual disturbances and loss of sensation across his body.
Medical specialists identified neuropathy due to excessive vitamin B6 levels.
"We are aware of reports that excessive levels of B6 in over-the-counter supplements may have caused lasting injuries to hundreds of Australians," said Polaris Founder and Director Nick Mann, referring to the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) database of adverse event notifications.
"Consumers of supplements have a right to be confident that the product they purchase will be safe for their use," he said, pointing to the sale of supplements containing levels of vitamin B6 that are well above the recommended daily intake.
"The fact that potentially harmful supplements have been approved for sale by the regulator does not alter the legal obligations of manufacturers to ensure that the products are safe for consumers."
Mann told Pharmacy Daily that the firm had received around 100 responses to its call for interested parties, with a number of different brands named.
The TGA has proposed scheduling supplements containing between 5mg and 200mg of B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal or pyridoxamine) as S3 Pharmacist-Only Medicines.
It noted that people are obtaining B6 from multiple sources, and while products containing a daily dose of more than 10mg required a warning about peripheral neuropathy, consumers do not always read the warning.
An S3 scheduling for vitamin B6 will enable safeguards through pharmacist oversight.
A TGA spokesperson told Pharmacy Daily that the interim decision following the application to amend the Poisons Standard entry of vitamin B6 (pyridoxine, pyridoxal or pyridoxamine) is "nearing completion and is expected to be released soon".
"Any steps to better regulate vitamin B6 in pharmacies would be welcomed," Mann told Pharmacy Daily.
"However, it should have been on the TGA's radar for a long time - it may not be too little, but for people like Dominic, it is too late." KB
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