The Pharmaceutical Society of Northern Ireland has published a consultation on new guidance to pharmacists on the provision of homeopathic products within a pharmacy. The draft guidance advises pharmacists that when providing a homeopathic product, the patient should be advised that there is no strong scientific or clinical evidence base for the efficacy of homeopathic products other than having a placebo effect.

Homeopathy is not a risk free form of alternative health treatment,î said Society registrar Brendan Kerr. ìThere are real dangers that a patient using homeopathic products may be failing to seek appropriate diagnosis of a more serious underlying condition. Therefore, in our role of protecting patient safety in pharmacy it is appropriate and necessary that formal professional guidance be issued to pharmacists on this matter.î

The new guidance comes following a report by the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee into homeopathy which reviewed the evidence base and found it was not an efficacious form of treatment. The report indicated that:

* The NHS should cease funding homeopathy
* The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) should not allow homeopathic product labels to make medical claims without evidence of efficacy
* As they are not medicines, homeopathic products should no longer be licensed by the MHRA
* Labelling of homeopathic products should make it explicit that there is no scientific evidence that homeopathic products work beyond the placebo effect.