The Medicines Control Agency (MCA) is to establish a Forum on the safety and quality of ethnic herbal remedies, currently exempt from medicines licensing requirements.
Initially, the forum will be concentrating on traditional Chinese and Ayurvedic medicines and any principles resulting from the discussions may later be used as a framework for other traditions.
Reported problem areas for these medicinal products include contamination and substitution of advertised ingredients with undeclared substances, such as toxic plants, heavy metals and steroids. Any agreed action to improve the quality of these products can only result in greater consumer confidence and could also serve to widen consumer availability and choice.
The MCA is already working with UK herbal interest groups - practitioners, manufacturers and consumers - to address the need for improving the overall system for regulations governing herbal remedies from the western tradition.
The MCA´s aim in establishing the forum is "to encourage and assist" organisations representing both the practitioners and product manufacturers (or suppliers) operating within the UK to improve the effectiveness of self regulatory arrangements intended to ensure the safety and quality of unlicensed herbal remedies.
Copies of the discussion document, Integrated Healthcare - A Way Forward for the Next Five Years?, are available from The Foundation for Integrated Medicine and cost £10.
Send a cheque or postal order (not cash) to:
The Foundation for Integrated Medicine International House, 59 Compton Road, London N1 2YT