Alok Jha, science correspondent
The Guardian
New regulations allowing homeopathic remedies to put therapeutic claims on labels must be annulled, says the medical establishment. Lord Taverne, chairman of the charity Sense About Science, tabled a debate yesterday in the Lords on the rules, which he described as "disgraceful".
The rules allow remedies to be licensed based on observed symptoms and to be labelled to indicate what ailments they purport to treat. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said the rules could improve consumer information. But hundreds of scientists, doctors and scientific societies have expressed concern. "It has come as a shock to the medical and scientific world," said Lord Taverne: "What is at issue here is the notion of trust between the public and drug regulation."
Catherine Collins, chief dietitian at St George's hospital, London, said the rules gave homeopathic products a legitimacy they did not deserve. "The only plausible explanation for any objectively determined benefit of homeopathy is a placebo effect. I assume the regulations would, therefore, legitimately be extended to cover Smarties used for similar treatment' purposes?"
Adrian Newland, president of the Royal College of Pathologists, said he did not oppose homeopathic remedies it if there was no evidence of detriment. "There is a special concern, however, that the endorsement of such therapies without appropriate pre-clinical tests and clinical trials and without rigorous safety and efficacy data may encourage patients to use them as an alternative to conventional treatments."
The British Homeopathic Association said it regretted Lord Taverne's debate. "The public will benefit by being able to read simple indications on the packaging for remedies for minor acute, self-limiting ailments such as nausea, headache, the common cold, skin conditions, digestive complaints, etc, based on bibliographic evidence accumulated over 200 years. Other preparations such as cough mixtures and expectorants are available over the counter without clinical trial evidence," it said in a statement.
The Guardian
New regulations allowing homeopathic remedies to put therapeutic claims on labels must be annulled, says the medical establishment. Lord Taverne, chairman of the charity Sense About Science, tabled a debate yesterday in the Lords on the rules, which he described as "disgraceful".
The rules allow remedies to be licensed based on observed symptoms and to be labelled to indicate what ailments they purport to treat. The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency said the rules could improve consumer information. But hundreds of scientists, doctors and scientific societies have expressed concern. "It has come as a shock to the medical and scientific world," said Lord Taverne: "What is at issue here is the notion of trust between the public and drug regulation."
Catherine Collins, chief dietitian at St George's hospital, London, said the rules gave homeopathic products a legitimacy they did not deserve. "The only plausible explanation for any objectively determined benefit of homeopathy is a placebo effect. I assume the regulations would, therefore, legitimately be extended to cover Smarties used for similar treatment' purposes?"
Adrian Newland, president of the Royal College of Pathologists, said he did not oppose homeopathic remedies it if there was no evidence of detriment. "There is a special concern, however, that the endorsement of such therapies without appropriate pre-clinical tests and clinical trials and without rigorous safety and efficacy data may encourage patients to use them as an alternative to conventional treatments."
The British Homeopathic Association said it regretted Lord Taverne's debate. "The public will benefit by being able to read simple indications on the packaging for remedies for minor acute, self-limiting ailments such as nausea, headache, the common cold, skin conditions, digestive complaints, etc, based on bibliographic evidence accumulated over 200 years. Other preparations such as cough mixtures and expectorants are available over the counter without clinical trial evidence," it said in a statement.
Et encore, les Smarties, il y a du chocolat dedans. Rien ne permet de dire qu'elles n'ont pas une action thérapeutique, à ce titre !
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