• New EU regulations on herbal medicines come into force
    49 replies, posted
[quote]New European Union rules have come into force banning hundreds of traditional herbal remedies. The EU law aims to protect consumers from possible damaging side-effects of over-the-counter herbal medicines. For the first time, new regulations will allow only long-established and quality-controlled medicines to be sold. But both herbal remedy practitioners and manufacturers fear they could be forced out of business. To date, the industry has been covered by the 1968 Medicines Act, drawn up when only a handful of herbal remedies were available and the number of herbal practitioners was very small. But surveys show that about a quarter of all adults in the UK have used a herbal medicine in the past two years, mostly bought over the counter in health food shops and pharmacies. The regulations will cover widely used products such as echinacea, St John's Wort and valerian, as well as traditional Chinese and Indian medicines. Traditional Herbal Remedy logo Herbal remedies that have been approved for sale under the new regulations will come with this logo But safety concerns have focused on the powerful effects of some herbal remedies, as well as the way they interact with conventional drugs. For example, St John's Wort can interfere with the contraceptive pill, while ginkgo and ginseng are known to have a similar effect to the blood-thinning drug warfarin. From now on only products that have been assessed by the Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will be allowed to go on sale. Manufacturers will have to prove that their products have been made to strict standards and contain a consistent and clearly marked dose. And to count as a traditional medicine, products must have been in use for the past 30 years, including 15 years within the EU. They will also only be approved for minor ailments like coughs and colds, muscular aches and pains, or sleep problems. Remedies already on sale will be allowed to stay on the shelves until they reach their expiry date. Free from contamination Richard Woodfield, head of herbal medicine policy at the MHRA, says so far there have been 211 applications, of which 105 have been granted registration. "Crucially, this EU directive and the registration scheme puts consumers in the driving seat so they can identify that a product meets assured standards on safety, quality and information about safe use. "Safety speaks for itself, but quality means, are they using the right part of the plant? Is it free from contamination? Is the claimed shelf life suitable? "Product information will include possible side effects and interactions with other drugs, but above all it must make very clear that it is based on traditional use." And that is a key point for the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, which believes the new regime is a step forward in improving safety and quality. But Prof Jayne Lawrence, chief science adviser to the society, says there are still some concerns about herbal products. "They certainly haven't been tested on the same basis as a conventional medicine and some of these compounds are very potent. "Patients might not realise that in some cases they should not take other medicines with them, or if they're going for surgery they should tell their doctors they are taking these particular medicines because there may be complications. "So we're very concerned that patients appreciate they must be very careful when they take these medicines and, ideally, should talk to their doctor or pharmacist." The manufacturers of herbal remedies have had seven years to prepare for the new rules after the European Directive on Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products was introduced in 2004. Too onerous? These regulations apply to over-the-counter sales, which form the bulk of herbal remedies sold in the UK. But some manufacturers and herbal practitioners have expressed concern, arguing the new rules are too onerous for many small producers. Michael McIntyre, chairman of the European Herbal and Traditional Medicines Practitioners Association, says there will be a significant impact on herbal medicine practitioners and their suppliers, but admits the rules do need bringing up to date. "Products that go on the market now will definitely do what it says on the bottle, while we didn't know how good they were in the past. "But registration is expensive so perhaps there may be fewer products on the market and a smaller range. "It's difficult to argue that the market should stay as it is, without any regulation, but how many businesses will pack up and walk away? I can't say." A Department of Health spokesperson said: "We have swiftly introduced a system to register herbal practitioners using unlicensed herbal medicines, so consumers will be able to continue to use unlicensed herbal medicines if they wish." [/quote] [url]http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-13215010[/url] Good, there's a distinct lack of proper regulation among "alt med" stuff. Now we just need to regulate the utter bullshit, like homeopathy, out of existence and we'll be good.
Thats pretty stupid. Although it is bullshit we should not interfere with the peoples right to use them.
Seems fair if the EU will simply test these herbs to determin whether they are safe or not for sale.
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29538250]Thats pretty stupid. Although it is bullshit we should not interfere with the peoples right to use them.[/QUOTE] yes but i also think that herbal medicines should be forced to print(in bold) the side effects, and also say that the fda(different name for europeons but same point) says that none of it works people should be allowed to buy these substances, but they should also be fairly warned of the risks associated [editline]1st May 2011[/editline] [QUOTE=Vasili;29538277]Seems fair if the EU will simply test these herbs to determin whether they are safe or not for sale.[/QUOTE] im seriously hoping that this doesnt get overly political like it has been in the usa because thats a whole bigger can of worms
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29538250]Thats pretty stupid. Although it is bullshit we should not interfere with the peoples right to use them.[/QUOTE] No but we need to regulate people's rights/ability to sell them.
[QUOTE=Xen Tricks;29538414]No but we need to regulate people's rights/ability to sell them.[/QUOTE] no if someone wants to buy something government has no right to tell someone they shouldnt, same with selling it should only be law that they have to warn consumers about side effects
[QUOTE=yawmwen;29538440]no if someone wants to buy something government has no right to tell someone they shouldnt, same with selling it should only be law that they have to warn consumers about side effects[/QUOTE] I disagree, it should not be legal to sell something masquerading as medicine with absolutely no medicinal effects.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;29538440]no if someone wants to buy something government has no right to tell someone they shouldnt, same with selling it should only be law that they have to warn consumers about side effects[/QUOTE] So asbestos is okay to have used as a fire retardant?
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29538250]Thats pretty stupid. Although it is bullshit we should not interfere with the peoples right to use them.[/QUOTE] Herbal medicines can have potentially lethal reactions with each other and other medications, they need to be regulated the same as any other drug
I hope they don't limit Valerian root too much, I take herbal sleeping pills with that in them.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;29538440]no if someone wants to buy something government has no right to tell someone they shouldnt, same with selling it should only be law that they have to warn consumers about side effects[/QUOTE] It's not so much an issue of stopping people from buying things but to stop people from trying others to sell things. Whether or not the treatment works to any extent (usually much less than people who buy into it hope, an issue for the education system as opposed to regulations), if there are side effects people should be told what they are.
[QUOTE=yawmwen;29538440]no if someone wants to buy something government has no right to tell someone they shouldnt, same with selling it should only be law that they have to warn consumers about side effects[/QUOTE] All medications have side effects :v:
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29538250]Thats pretty stupid. Although it is bullshit we should not interfere with the peoples right to use them.[/QUOTE] This is purely a safety thing, licensed / registered herbal medication will have to list possible contraindications and possible / known side effects like "real" drugs have to. As others have said, some herbal stuff can have lethal side effects.
They'll just start selling them as incense like they do with everything else.
When the price of medicine increases it will be blamed on capitalism.
honestly....fuck the EU.
[QUOTE=Pace.;29540030]honestly....fuck the EU.[/QUOTE] All this does is make herbal medicines be regulated the same way as any other medicine. What is there to fuck?
fuck you eu if i wanna my sell bleach as medicine i'll damn well sell my bleach as medicine
[QUOTE=Jager_57;29539816]When the price of medicine increases it will be blamed on capitalism.[/QUOTE] From what I understand, alternative medicines and herbal medicines are already priced outrageously high.
[QUOTE=Jabberwocky;29540442]From what I understand, alternative medicines and herbal medicines are already priced outrageously high.[/QUOTE] For no logical reason whatsoever. I've always thought if I ever really had trouble getting on my feet, i'd try and start up a homeopathic drug company. Massive profits for virtually no cost.
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29538250]Thats pretty stupid. Although it is bullshit we should not interfere with the peoples right to use them.[/QUOTE] Some 'herbal medicines' are terribly poisonous and rape your liver and kidneys.
[QUOTE=Jabberwocky;29540442]From what I understand, alternative medicines and herbal medicines are already priced outrageously high.[/QUOTE] Thats why you order and cultivate your own plants if you can. It's usually expensive because of the requirements for taking care of plants in a greenhouse. Setup costs, etc. Not to mention that everyone wants a bit of profit.
[QUOTE=Xen Tricks;29540478]For no logical reason whatsoever. I've always thought if I ever really had trouble getting on my feet, i'd try and start up a homeopathic drug company. Massive profits for virtually no cost.[/QUOTE] Its because, in my opinion its seen as the latest cool and trendy thing to do so people think they can (and do) get away with charging way more than they the product is worth.
So many misinformed people here, I often use herbal and natural stuff that is well documented. This is just a move to increase sales of over the counter bullshit that pharmaceutical companies prop up. The entire EU is a wholly owned subsidiary of the pharmaceutical industry.
[QUOTE=Stany01;29542708] This is just a move to increase sales of over the counter bullshit that pharmaceutical companies prop up.[/QUOTE] Even though these new regulations only affect herbal medicines that aren't regulated yet, they will also affect the medicines that are already regulated?
[QUOTE=Stany01;29542708]So many misinformed people here, I often use herbal and natural stuff that is well documented. This is just a move to increase sales of over the counter bullshit that pharmaceutical companies prop up. The entire EU is a wholly owned subsidiary of the pharmaceutical industry.[/QUOTE] Oh look, a hippie and/or conspiracy theorist.
[QUOTE=yaik9a;29538250]Thats pretty stupid. Although it is bullshit we should not interfere with the peoples right to use them.[/QUOTE] If you are selling people goods they need to be tested to see if it is safe just because they don't make you better doesn't mean they can't cause you harm
If you want herbal pills to be labeled as "medicine" they should be forced to undergo all the rigorous testing regular medicine has to undergo to note the effects/side-effects and interactions. Otherwise just slap a big, bold "THIS PRODUCT IS NOT AN APPROVED MEDICINE" sticker on every bottle and be done with it.
[QUOTE=Stany01;29542708]So many misinformed people here, I often use herbal and natural stuff that is well documented. This is just a move to increase sales of over the counter bullshit that pharmaceutical companies prop up. The entire EU is a wholly owned subsidiary of the pharmaceutical industry.[/QUOTE] Should you be gather orgone energy or diluting medince a hundred times over, or something?
"'Herbal medicine's been around for thousands of years' Indeed it has, and then we tested it all and the stuff that works became 'medicine'. The rest is just a nice bowl of soup and a cup of tea." - Dara O'Briain
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