Pharmaceutical Society Of Australia Wants Pharmacy To ‘Draw A Line In The Sand’ And Stop Supplying Homeopathy
Executive Summary
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia has called on the country's pharmacy banner and buying groups to help remove homeopathic products from the shelves of Australian community pharmacies, thereby joining an international chorus of voices that has emerged over the last year questioning the efficacy of these treatments.
Australian pharmacy banner and buying groups should do “whatever is in their power” to remove homeopathic products from the shelves of the country’s community pharmacies, said the president of the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA), Chris Freeman, in a strongly worded open letter.
“On behalf of the PSA, I call on all community pharmacy banner and buying groups to draw a line in the sand and cease all activities that promote the stocking, promotion, recommendation, or marketing of homeopathy,” urged Freeman. “Let us lead by example, so that the community pharmacy sector is a health destination that consumers can consistently call upon to receive the best possible care.”
Freeman admonished pharmacy banner and buying groups – which provide not only economies of scale for community pharmacy members but also marketing and financial services – for including homeopathic products in their “planograms, catalogs, specials, social media communications, and allocated stock ranges,” despite a lack of evidence for their efficacy. (see PSA Letter to Pharmacy Groups)
Health At Risk
“Many consumers are not aware that there is no reliable evidence to support the use of homeopathic products to treat or prevent ailments,” Freedman pointed out. “There may be a public perception that these products have health benefits, placing their health at risk if they choose homeopathic products.”
While conceding that some might believe that accepting homeopathic products within pharmacy provided a “platform from which to have a matter-of-fact conversation” about this lack of evidence, Freeman insisted that it had in fact become “increasingly clear” that these conversations were not taking place, and that by stocking these products, pharmacists were suggesting to consumers a “de facto endorsement of their appropriateness.”
Freedman urged pharmacy banner and buying groups to join the PSA’s mission to “eradicate” pharmacy practices that might “compromise patient care and the pharmacist’s reputation as a trusted, patient focused healthcare professional.”
As part of this mission, the PSA in December published its contribution to Choosing Wisely Australia, a local version of the American Board of Internal Medicine Foundation's Choosing Wisely campaign, which was set up in 2012 in the US to promote wise decisions about the most appropriate care and to reduce waste in the healthcare system. (Also see "Doctors Identify Overused Tests And Procedures In ‘Choosing Wisely’ Campaign" - Medtech Insight, 9 Apr, 2012.)
The second of ‘Five Things Clinicians and Consumers Should Question’ dealt with homeopathy, with the PSA recommending that: “Where patients choose to access homeopathic treatments, health professionals should discuss the lack of benefit with patients.” (see PSA Recommendations To Choosing Wisely Australia)
Complementary medicines and therapies – such as dietary supplements – also came under fire in the document for having “limited evidence of efficacy.”
“There is some evidence of efficacy for some complementary medicines,” the PSA admitted, “however this may be formulation and dose dependent, and health practitioners are encouraged to seek this information before recommending such products.”
Overall, the PSA insisted that health professionals should “not recommend complementary medicines or therapies unless there is credible evidence of efficacy and the benefit of use outweighs the risk.”
Responding to the PSA’s intervention, a spokesperson for the Australian Self-Medication Industry (ASMI) emphasized to HBW Insight the importance of consumer choice and the role of pharmacies in “empowering” consumers to self-care, “regardless of the levels of evidence” for healthcare products like homeopathic medicines.
Pharmacies were a “vital destination” for consumers practicing self-care, the spokesperson continued, and pharmacists played an “important role” in providing accurate information and advice to ensure quality use of medicines.
Pharmacies were the place where consumers could acquire information about products they were interested in purchasing, the spokesperson added, and advice about more suitable products should those they were inquiring about be inappropriate.
Swelling Tide against Homeopathy
With its pharmacy campaign, the PSA joins a chorus of voices emerging in the last 12 months questioning the efficacy of – and in many cases the appropriateness of reimbursing – homeopathic treatments.
In December, France’s government charged the country’s health authority with investigating the efficacy of homeopathic medicines, with the aim of using the findings to assess the appropriateness of continued reimbursement of such products. (Also see "French Public Throw Support Behind Homoeopathic Reimbursement " - HBW Insight, 10 Dec, 2018.)
At roughly the same time, one of Belgium’s main health insurers, CM (the Christian Mutuality), announced that it would no longer reimburse homeopathic remedies.
Homeopathic medicines were among a number of health products described in November by the Spanish government as “pseudo-therapies,” prompting it to take steps to stop these therapies from being available across the country in health centers and being used in studies at universities. (Also see "Spain reviews homoeopathy" - HBW Insight, 23 Nov, 2018.)
Meanwhile in Germany, leading members of the country’s legislature in September proposed that the country should revoke the ‘medicinal’ status it applied to homeopathic products, so they no longer qualify for reimbursement by the statutory health insurance system. (Also see "Homoeopathy blasted by legislators in Germany" - HBW Insight, 21 Sep, 2018.)
And finally, the UK’s high court in June upheld a decision by the National Health Service (NHS) to withdraw reimbursement for homeopathy, after the British Homeopathic Association made a legal challenge against NHS England.