Government opts to remove homeopathic meds from store shelves
BY MARGOT MURPHY MOORE, President, Canadian Homeopathic Pharmaceutical Association (CHPA)
For the past seven years, over-the-counter (OTC) cough and cold medications have not been available in Canada for children under the age of six. This followed a determination by Health Canada that these medications had an unacceptable degree of risk of adverse health outcomes and/or they just were not effective in treating cough and cold symptoms.
Now, Health Canada has decided that homeopathic children’s medicines for cough, cold and flu, should also be taken off the market. On July 31, 2015, Health Canada announced a policy decision to no longer permit claims (indications for use) for homeopathic cough and cold medicines for children under the age of 12, unless these claims are supported by “acceptable scientific evidence” such as clinical trials.
Among the reasons cited for the decision was that “current labelling on some homeopathic products may not provide Canadians with the information they need to make informed choices.” Health Canada also noted that it “is introducing these changes to ensure that Canadians who choose to use homeopathic products have the information they need to improve their safe use, especially parents trying to make the best choices for their children.”
A closer look at the policy change reveals that parents will not have more information to make informed choice. In fact, manufacturers will not be permitted to include any information on pediatric homeopathic medicines for coughs, colds and flu for kids under 12, including claims, indications that the products are intended for children, and dosage for children under the age of 12.
What this really means is that children’s homeopathic cough, cold and flu medications will disappear from the Canadian marketplace in mid-2016. We believe this regulation will not provide parents with an informed choice, but rather leave them with no choice.
Research in Canada, the U.S. and U.K, clearly illustrates that kids under the age of 12 and particularly kids under the age of six frequently suffer from minor upper respiratory infections lasting up to 15 days. This means not only lost time at school, but lost work time for parents, especially working moms. According to an analysis of work absences in 2011 by Statistics Canada, “the presence of preschool-age children exerts a strong influence on work absences for personal or family responsibilities. In 2011, full-time employees in families with at least one preschool-age child lost an average of 3.0 days, compared with only 1.4 for those in families without children.”
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