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Doctor who complained to regulator about weight loss product is sued for libel

BMJ 2011; 342 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d3728 (Published 13 June 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;342:d3728
  1. Melissa Sweet
  1. 1Sydney

An Australian doctor and campaigner for the ethical marketing of medical treatments, Ken Harvey, is facing an $A800 000 (£520 000; €590 000; $845 000) defamation suit relating to a complaint he lodged with regulatory authorities about a complementary weight loss product called SensaSlim.

Australian Skeptics, a group that presses for sensible scientific views (www.skeptics.com.au), has launched a campaign to raise funds to support Dr Harvey, a retired academic with an honorary appointment at La Trobe University, Melbourne, in what it calls a “SLAPP” (strategic lawsuit against public participation).

“To use legal action to stop his complaint in its tracks is similar to …

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