ELEANOR HALL: Well, Pan's attempt to have its six month manufacturing ban lifted has received qualified support from one of Australia's leading authorities on alternative medicine.

Professor Avni Sali is the Foundation Head of the Graduate School of Integrative Medicine at Swinburne University of Technology and he's also a member of the Federal Government's Complementary Health Care Consultative Forum.

Professor Sali says he thinks Pan has been dealt a harsh penalty as a signal to others and that it should be allowed to continue manufacturing vitamins which are not subject to the recall. He's also concerned that vitamin supplements are being given a bad name when the main problems at Pan relate to a travel sickness drug.

Professor Sali has been speaking to our Finance Correspondent Stephen Long.

AVNI SALI: Well it is quite clear, from what I gather, that it is not all products that are involved and I would think that the reason why the company has been stopped from manufacturing any products here in Australia is that the government wants to give a very strong message out there that if you do this sort of thing you're going to be severely punished. 

Now I don't think that is so necessary for the export market, provided that those products that are being exported have been cleared and it has been shown that they don't have any problems.

STEPHEN LONG: You seem to think that this is actually less to do with the dangers of the products that are being recalled, in particular the vitamins and minerals, and more as you see it to do with taking a big stick to the company, to provide a demonstration effect to others.

AVNI SALI: I think that that certainly is one of the major things. It appears as if the TGA, and I don't know all the details, does know that there are certain products that are of concern but then the others are probably not of concern and I suspect the penalty is to give people a clear message that you can't do this sort of thing.

STEPHEN LONG: Senior figures inside Pan Pharmaceuticals are saying privately though not publicly…

AVNI SALI: Yes.

STEPHEN LONG: …that they believe this action is harsh and unwarranted and that there can be no dangers with the vitamins and mineral products that have been recalled. Do you have sympathy with that point of view?

AVNI SALI: Well, there's very little doubt about the fact that natural products like vitamins and minerals are generally no more dangerous than eating lettuce and it is interesting that the product that was of concern and that highlighted the problem here was a drug, Travacalm. 

That's a drug. It's a combination of two drugs. It's not a natural substance and I don't know of anyone reporting in with side effects or complications from taking vitamins or minerals. They're enormously safe when compared to drug products and this is really an important message that people should obtain.

STEPHEN LONG: Pan's Chairman, Ross Brown, and another director are in Canberra speaking with the Therapeutic Drugs [Goods] Administration in the hope of having the suspension on manufacture lifted. Do you think that the TGA should suspend the manufacture ban?

AVNI SALI: The six months would mean that workers are likely to lose their jobs, and that is of concern to me, and also the fact there may be unnecessary concerns about most of their products not being at risk if that is known. And I gather, and I can only go by peripheral information like the fax that I've just received, to say that a particular product they are manufacturing, the TGA confirmed that this product is not up for immediate recall. 

So I would say that it would not be unreasonable to be able to do that with all the other products that they know are not at risk. 

STEPHEN LONG: They should be allowed to continue manufacturing the products that are not at risk?

AVNI SALI: Yes, but with a heavy penalty because of the problems that have arisen out of this.

STEPHEN LONG: What kind of penalty?

AVNI SALI: I'm not too sure. 

ELEANOR HALL: Professor Avni Sali, Head of the Graduate School of Integrative Medicine at Swinburne University of Technology, speaking there to Stephen Long.