A PLANNED crackdown on dodgy health products will target snake-oil merchants who sell miraculous diet pills, magic magnets and other unproven treatments.

Proposed new laws would give the federal health minister the power to strip bogus products of their registration with the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods.

It would also create a new offence for providing "false or misleading information".

Parliamentary secretary for health Shayne Neumann said the laws would mean anyone making false claims would be "in trouble".

A committee inquiry will report on the legislation in June.

This will pave the way for final debate, potentially leaving just two sitting weeks for it to pass Parliament before it rises for the election.

"Say you've got a product that says it's got the cure for the common cold - you just need to put this necklace around your neck," he said.

"We want to make sure they're not covered. And if there's misleading or false information given to the Therapeutic Goods Administration, we want to make sure that this aligns with existing offences ... there are civil penalties.

"They're no longer therapeutic goods and if they market them as such, they're in big trouble ... if someone's marketing a product that doesn't meet the test then it shouldn't be sold."

Opposition spokesman Andrew Southcott flagged in-principle Coalition support for the laws.

But he said they were concerned about anything that added red tape to business.

Because the actual legislation was very technical, they would wait for the committee report before deciding on a final position.

Australian Medical Association president Dr Steve Hambleton said it was crucial that the TGA could issue "real penalties that will dissuade people from making untrue statements".

"You don't have to look far to find things where the claims don't stack up," he said.

"We would like to see the TGA have sufficient funds to sort these things out in the public interest ... to have more resources to protect the public better."

Public health expert Dr Ken Harvey, from LaTrobe University, has waged a battle against the registration of dodgy products, which earned him Choice's "consumer champion" award last year.

He has tackled power bands, "fat blaster" pills, "fat melting" infrared underpants and "Undoit" calorie pills.

He welcomed the principle of the laws but warned that in practice, there were many delays and loopholes which could mean people keep buying products that don't work, and warned the legislation could just shunt products into another agency's area, such as consumer protection.

He said there was a "classic trick" where products were deregistered, only to reappear under a different name.

Pharmacies often bought products in bulk so they could still be on shelves long after being taken off the list.

He called for "fines and punishments" to deter the huge and growing industry as well as the ability to recall products already out there.

The best option would be "pre-assessment" so that products that made misleading claims did not get registered in the first place, he said.

"There's a huge number of products because anyone can put anything on the register. There are thousands of shonky products ... and there are no significant penalties for violations," he said.

Mr Neumann said the public expected accurate information and transparency and anyone who tried to exploit loopholes or "rejig" their product would be "in trouble".

He said civil penalties would apply but declined to comment on the size of any fines.

For years, public health experts have been calling for the TGA to stop registering products that make dubious claims.

There are dozens of weight loss products sold in Australia and scientists say many of them have little or no evidence to support them.

In one case, "Undoit" pills claimed to be able to "undo" calories.

Five undoit pills would "undo" a burger and fries, according to the manufacturers.

While the TGA was considering a complaint about the pills, the manufacturers took the pills off the register, stopping an investigation. Then they registered "Undoit Plus" and the process began again.

The TGA cancelled the Undoit Plus registration last year because of insufficient evidence, unacceptable presentation and failure to comply with conditions of listing.

Originally published as Crackdown on dodgy 'miracle' cures