The Royal Pharmaceutical Society has called for a licensing system for herbal medicines which have a good history of safety. Proof of efficacy would not be required.
The Society made its call in evidence to the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee on June 13.
A team led by the chairman of the Society's Science Committee (Professor William Dawson) told the Lords committee that herbal medicines licensed under the proposed system would have to be prepared according to good manufacturing practice and would need to meet safety and quality standards.
"We are calling for a new category of licensed herbal remedies and would like to see a regulatory framework introduced where patients can feel secure about the safety and quality of the products they are buying and are able to make an informed choice," Professor Dawson said.
At the Society after giving evidence (left to right) Professor Peter Houghton (professor in pharmacognosy, King's College London), Professor Tony Moffat (the Society's chief scientist), Ms Beverley Parkin (director of public affairs, the Society), Professor Dawson, Dr Graham Marshall (head of medical services, Boots the Chemists), Professor Derek Calam (head of chemistry, National Institute for Biological Standards and Control) and Dr John Clements (head of scientific and technical services, the Society) |