CMA slams NHMRC review
September 11, 2015
Complementary Medicines
Australia (CMA) has responded
to the CM position statement
by the Pharmaceutical Society
of Australia (PD yesterday), by
acknowledging the provision
of complementary medicines
guidance but including a caution
with regard to endorsement of
the National Health and Medical
Research Council’s (NHMRC) report
on homeopathy.
Carl Gibson, ceo of CMA said,
“We are very disappointed that
the homeopathy report is being
endorsed by health associations,
given that a number of
independent experts in the sector
have expressed strong concerns
with the methodology of the
review, according to information
obtained from NHMRC under
Freedom of Information laws.”
While the homeopathy debate
has been considered dead for
some time now (PD 04 Jun),
Gibson, keeping it very much alive,
critiqued NHMRC’s approach to the
subject saying, “Papers released
under Freedom of Information
show that the NHMRC failed to
appoint a homeopathic expert
to the Review Panel, left out
randomised controlled trials,
excluded all studies not published in English, and limited the choice
of databases searched, which
basically meant that the balance of
complementary medicines specific
content was omitted.
“The NHMRC accepted that some
studies reported homeopathy was
effective – but ruled them out of
the review, presumably because
they did not meet the narrow
orthodox pharmaceutical view.”
Gibson argued the only valid
conclusion to be drawn from the
review “is that the NHMRC failed to
uphold its own standards of ethics
and quality research”.
He said the CMA considers it
“alarming that the report is being
used as a basis for advice to
pharmacists with regard to the sale
of these products.”
With around 75% of the
Australian population using CMs,
Gibson added that it is crucial that
all HCPs are able to discuss the use
of these medicines
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