--- title: "Building a TGA-listed supplement brand: who to work with" description: "Building a TGA-listed supplement brand in Australia: what a contract manufacturer, a regulatory consultant and a development partner each do, and what to ask." url: https://takefridayoff.com/guides/choosing-a-product-development-partner updated: 2026-10-29 --- # Building a TGA-listed supplement brand: who does what, and who to choose https://takefridayoff.com/guides/choosing-a-product-development-partner · Guide · last reviewed 2026-10-28 ## In short (https://takefridayoff.com/guides/choosing-a-product-development-partner#in-short) - **Two decisions.** Where you sell (your store and marketing) and who builds the product. Settle the product first: its pathway decides the ingredients, the claims and the label you'll be selling with. - **A contract manufacturer** makes what it is given. It won't check whether your formula fits its pathway, whether your claims hold up or whether your label is right. - **A regulatory consultant** helps with the rules: the TGA calls an agent "a regulatory affairs consultant offering services, including advice and assistance in relation to regulatory requirements". The sponsor still answers for the medicine. - **An end-to-end development partner** carries the brief, the formula, the evidence, the listing, the label and the packaging, and manages the manufacture. That's what we do. - **Whichever you choose,** the sponsor is normally your own company: the business that holds the ARTG entry and is legally responsible for the product. ## Where you sell, and what you sell (https://takefridayoff.com/guides/choosing-a-product-development-partner#where-you-sell-and-what-you-sell) Your store, checkout, subscriptions and email are one decision. The product is another, and for a supplement in Australia it comes first: whether it is a listed medicine, a food or a cosmetic decides the ingredients it can use, the claims it can make and the label it carries ([medicine, food or cosmetic](https://takefridayoff.com/pathways)). A store can be changed in weeks; a product's pathway can't be changed without remaking it. ## Who builds the product (https://takefridayoff.com/guides/choosing-a-product-development-partner#who-builds-the-product) ### A contract manufacturer A manufacturer makes what it is given. For a listed medicine it holds a TGA manufacturing licence for the steps it carries out, and makes the batches to the specification. It won't check whether your formula fits its pathway, whether your claims hold up or whether your label is right. That risk sits with you, and it surfaces after launch, when fixing it means relabelling or pulling stock. How to choose one is in our [manufacturer guide](https://takefridayoff.com/guides/choosing-a-supplement-manufacturer). ### A regulatory consultant A sponsor can work through an agent, which the TGA describes as "a regulatory affairs consultant offering services, including advice and assistance in relation to regulatory requirements". The agent can do the work, but the sponsor is responsible for the medicine complying ([TGA sponsor](https://takefridayoff.com/guides/tga-sponsor)). A consultant suits a brand with its own product team and its own manufacturer, which needs the rules handled. ### An end-to-end development partner One team for the whole job: the brief, the formulation, the evidence behind every claim, the listing, the label, the packaging, and managing the manufacture and delivery to your warehouse. You deal with one team; it deals with the factory. This is how we work, through the five steps of the [Launch Engine™](https://takefridayoff.com/system). ## How to tell which you need (https://takefridayoff.com/guides/choosing-a-product-development-partner#how-to-tell-which-you-need) - **You have a finished formula, its evidence and a compliant label:** a manufacturer may be all you need. - **You have a product team and a manufacturer, but the rules are slowing you down:** a regulatory consultant or a regulatory retainer. - **You have an idea, a brand and a market, and want one team accountable from brief to shelf:** an end-to-end development partner. ## Questions to ask any of them (https://takefridayoff.com/guides/choosing-a-product-development-partner#questions-to-ask-any-of-them) - Which pathway will my product take, and when will that be settled? - Who holds the evidence for each claim, and who checks the label against the rules before print? - Which parts are fixed fees, and which are priced per unit? - Which manufacturer will make it, does it hold the licence for each step, and who manages the batches? - What have you built in my format and pathway, and how long did it take? ## From our records (https://takefridayoff.com/guides/choosing-a-product-development-partner#from-our-records) - [An international skincare brand](https://takefridayoff.com/work/skincare-brand-regulatory-partner): formula and evidence work on two supplements and a sunscreen, and their regulatory work on a monthly retainer since 2024, now in its third year. - [EverLeanBody](https://takefridayoff.com/work/everleanbody-saffron-capsule): end to end, from the brief workshop to the formula, the evidence, the listing, the label and the stability program: 5.8 months from signed brief to dispatch. - [ATP Science](https://takefridayoff.com/work/sports-brand-core-range): an established brand's range, four TGA-listed capsules reformulated from scratch. - We've run 190 projects since 2020: capsules, tablets, chewables, powders, liquids and creams, as TGA-listed medicines, foods and cosmetics. ## Frequently asked questions **What's the best way to build a TGA-listed supplement brand in Australia?** Settle the product before the store: its pathway, ingredients and claims. Then choose who builds it: a contract manufacturer if you bring a finished formula and its evidence, a regulatory consultant if you have your own team and factory, or an end-to-end development partner such as Take Friday Off if you want one team from brief to shelf. Our guide to starting a supplement brand has the steps. **Who holds the ARTG listing?** The sponsor, which is normally the brand's own company: the business that holds the ARTG entry and is legally responsible for the product. We prepare the listing, the evidence and the label for the sponsor to certify. **Can I put my brand on an existing listed product?** Ask who will be the sponsor, what the existing listing lets you claim, and who controls the formula. If you want your own formula and claims, the product is built and listed for your company. **Is Take Friday Off a manufacturer?** No. We're a product development company in Brookvale, Sydney. We develop the product and make it compliant, then manage its manufacture through audited cGMP partners matched to its format, volume and margin. See supplement product development in Sydney. ## Case studies - [The regulatory partner behind an international skincare brand](https://takefridayoff.com/work/skincare-brand-regulatory-partner): A regulatory partnership now in its third year. - [EverLeanBody: Signed brief to dispatch in under six months](https://takefridayoff.com/work/everleanbody-saffron-capsule): 5.8 months from signed brief to dispatch - [ATP Science: Rebuilding a sports brand's core range](https://takefridayoff.com/work/sports-brand-core-range): Five products in production from late 2023 ## Sources General information, checked against these sources on 28 October 2026. It isn't advice on a particular product. Our work is from Take Friday Off's records. - [Therapeutic Goods Act 1989](https://www.legislation.gov.au/C2004A03952/latest/text), section 3 (the meanings of manufacture and sponsor) and Part 3-3 (manufacturing), Federal Register of Legislation - [Determine if you are a sponsor](https://www.tga.gov.au/node/289) and [Organisation Details: Sponsor, Agent and Manufacturer](https://www.tga.gov.au/sites/default/files/2026-04/form-tga-business-services-organisation-details.pdf), Therapeutic Goods Administration - [Manufacturing therapeutic goods](https://www.tga.gov.au/products/regulations-all-products/manufacturing), Therapeutic Goods Administration