Memorandum submitted by the European Committee
for Homeopathic Medicine in Europe (HO 18)
THE USE OF HOMEOPATHIC MEDICINE IN EUROPE:
ITS LICENSING AND REGULATION.
1. INTRODUCTION
1.1 Over the past 30-40 years homeopathy
has benefited from growing demand both from doctors and from the
public in the majority of the European countries. According to
a survey by European Commission order in 1996 three Europeans
out of four know about homeopathy and of these about 30% use it
for their health care. In the European Union there are approximately
50,000 physicians who have taken a training course in homeopathy.
Many more doctors in Europe prescribe homeopathic medicines without
any homeopathic training: approximately 25-40 % of the GPs
from time to time, 6-8 % of them on a more regular basis.
1.2 Among the different forms of Complementary
and Alternative Medicine (CAM), in particular homeopathy has a
form of legal recognition in certain European countries, an organisational
structure at European level, self-regulatory mechanisms, and a
certain level of scientific credibility. Homeopathy is being increasingly
recognised as a potential asset to European health care. Resolutions
on CAM have been adopted by the European Parliament and the Council
of Europe, EU Directives oblige the Member States to register
homeopathic medicinal products, and homeopathic medicinal products
are being included in the European Pharmacopoeia.
Earlier this year the Swiss people in a national
referendum voted in favour of a constitutional article for complementary
medicine. Switzerland is the first country in Europe to set out
in the constitution, authority for the state and constituent states
(cantons) to take complementary medicine into consideration in
the public health service. On this constitutional basis, parliament
and the authorities have to admit doctors trained in anthroposophic
medicine, homeopathy, neural therapy, herbal medicine and Traditional
Chinese Medicine into the obligatory public health insurance system,
and create national diplomas for CAM therapists without a full
medical education.
2. HOMEOPATHY
AND THE
EUROPEAN UNION
2.1 The European Parliament has taken the
position that homeopathy—as well as other branches of non-conventional
medicine-, should be recognised. Its resolution of 29 May
1997 (A4-0075/97) called on the European Commission
(a) to launch a process of recognizing non-conventional
medicine and, to this end, to take the necessary steps to encourage
the establishment of appropriate committees;
(b) to carry out a thorough study into the safety,
effectiveness, area of application and the complementary or alternative
nature of all non-conventional medicines and to draw up a comparative
study of the various national legal models to which non-conventional
medical practitioners are subject;
(c) to make, in formulating European legislation
on non-conventional forms of medicine, a clear distinction between
non-conventional medicines which are "complementary"
in nature and those which are "alternative" medicines
in the sense that they replace conventional medicine;
and calls on the Council of Ministers after completion
of the preliminary work referred to above (at b.) to encourage
the development of research programmes in the field of non-conventional
medicines covering the individual and holistic approach, the preventive
role and the specific characteristics of the non-conventional
medical disciplines; Parliament undertakes to do likewise.
2.2 As to homeopathy in veterinary medicine,
the first steps of recognition have been made. In July 1999 Council
Regulation 1804/1999/EC was adopted, supplementing Regulation
2092/91/EEC by establishing rules on organic production and agricultural
products and indications referring thereto on agricultural products
and foodstuffs to include livestock production. This Regulation
stipulates that, when animals become sick or injured, they should
be treated immediately by giving preference to homeopathic or
herbal medicinal products and by limiting to a strict minimum
the use of chemically-synthesised allopathic medicinal products
in order to guarantee the integrity of organic production for
consumers.
2.3 All EU Member States are obliged to
register homeopathic medicines pursuant to Directive 2001/82/EC
(veterinary use) and 2001/83/EC (human use)—amended by Directive
2004/28/EC and Directive 2004/27/EC respectively—on the
Community Code relating to medicinal products. Homeopathic medicines
are prepared in accordance with a homeopathic manufacturing procedure
described in the official pharmacopoeias currently used in the
Member States,—the French, German, and increasingly, the
European Pharmacopoeia.
3. HOMEOPATHY
AND THE
COUNCIL OF
EUROPE
In 1999 the Council of Europe, in its Resolution
1206 (1999) on non-conventional medicine (=Complementary
and Alternative Medicine) called on "member states to promote
official recognition of these forms of medicine in medical faculties
and to encourage hospitals to use them". In addition, the
Council stated that "appropriate courses should be offered
in universities to train allopathic doctors in alternative and
complementary forms of treatment", and that "the best
guarantee for patients lies in a properly trained profession,
which is aware of its limitations, has a system of ethics and
self-regulation and is also subject to outside control".
4. HOMEOPATHY
AND NATIONAL
STATUTORY REGULATIONS
4.1 Homeopathy is recognised by law as a
distinct medical therapy in Belgium (1999), Bulgaria (2005), Hungary
(1997), Latvia (1997), Portugal (2003), Romania (1981), and Slovenia
(2007). In some countries where the government has delegated the
tasks of authorisation, registration and supervision of medical
practitioners to the national medical associations, statutory
regulation has been introduced by the national medical associations,
ie in Austria, Germany, Romania and Switzerland. In Lithuania
it was the national institute of medico-legal affairs that regulated
homeopathy. The national medical associations in France and Italy
have recognised homeopathy as a distinct medical therapy and called
on the government to provide the necessary legislation.
4.2 In Latvia the medical council/chamber
has recognised homeopathy as a medical specialty. In the following
countries as an additional qualification: Austria, Germany, Hungary,
Latvia, Lithuania (almost a subspecialty), Romania, Switzerland
(subspecialty for GPs, paediatricians and internists).
5. HOMEOPATHY
TEACHING AT
UNIVERSITIES
5.1 Familiarisation courses about homeopathy
are provided in the medical undergraduate curriculum as a part
of a course on Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Hungary
(one university), Italy and the Netherlands; as a separate subject
in Bulgaria, Germany and Romania. These familiarisation courses
are optional for medical students in Germany, Hungary (one university),
Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland (some universities), obligatory
in Latvia and Romania.
Postgraduate training courses in homeopathy
for doctors are provided at universities in Bulgaria, Germany,
France, Italy, Lithuania and Spain, in other countries at private
teaching centres.
5.2 A lectureship specifically for homeopathy
exists only in the Netherlands (Amsterdam), a professorial chair
of CAM including homeopathy in Hungary (P
cs) and Switzerland (Bern).
6. HOMEOPATHY
PROVISION IN
HOSPITALS
Several hospitals in continental Europe, in
their out-patient departments, currently provide homeopathic treatment
by physicians, ie in Austria (seven), France (two), Germany (five),
Spain (two), Italy (some).
Dr Ton Nicolai, President
of the European Committee for Homeopathy
November 2009
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