MHRA issues warning over herbal medicines advertising
Herbal practitioners have been warned
by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency not to make unjustified or unsubstantiated claims about the safety of herbal medicines.
The warning follows four complaints by the MHRA to the Advertising Standards
Authority about a leaflet available from traditional Chinese medicine
(TCM) clinics operated by Ever Well Ltd in the south and west of England.
Upholding all four complaints, the ASA ruled that Ever Well had not substantiated
claims that TCM could effectively treat a range of conditions, including
shingles, psoriasis, migraine, asthma, depression, diabetes and cancer,
among others. It also ruled that Ever Well had not substantiated claims
that TCM was safer than western medicines and that the leaflet could
discourage readers from seeking essential treatment for serious medical
conditions by comparing TCM favourably with orthodox treatments. The
ASA further ruled that references in the leaflet to doctors could lead
readers to believe that clinic staff with Chinese medical qualifications
were equivalent to UK registered GPs.
Ever Well was told not to repeat its claims unless it held documentary
evidence for them. |
The
Pharmaceutical Journal
Acrobat
Reader