Homeopathy should not be funded by the NHS, say MPs.
The Science and Technology Committee analysed scientific literature on homeopathic treatment and found no evidence of efficacy.
Homeopathic products should no longer be licensed by the MHRA because they are not medicines, the committee advised.
The NHS spends £4 million on homeopathy annually, according to the Society of Homeopaths.
In the report the select committee criticised the government for a ‘mismatch’ between evidence of efficacy and policy.
“It sets an unfortunate precedent for the DoH to consider that the existence of a community which believes that homeopathy works is ‘evidence’ enough to continue spending public money on it,” said chairman of the committee Phil Willis and Liberal Democrat MP.
Explanations for why homeopathy would work are ‘scientifically implausible’ and there is no evidence of how it works beyond the placebo effect, they concluded.
Read more at Healthcare Republic.
Tags: Alternative medicine
