Medicines for Human Use (National Rules for Homeopathic Products) Regulations 2006

My Lords, as the noble Lord, Lord Taverne, has said, if a patient has faith in a remedy, it is perfectly possible for their symptoms to be relieved, so long as they are not serious. If, in addition, the patient is made happy by that, his immune system will work better. There is good scientific evidence on that. One of the problems with this whole subject is that it is bedevilled by various organisations putting forward explanations for how these alternative therapies work. I mention acupuncture en passant. There is no doubt that acupuncture works, probably through releasing endorphins. But this business of there being special tracks and of having to insert the needle in special places is not so. You can stick them in anywhere and the effect is still the same. In reflexology you will see a diagram of the foot and various areas described as the lung area, the heart area and various other areas. What a pity that these strange explanations are given. Why do they not say, ““If you’re feeling ill and a beautiful young lady comes along and rubs your foot, you will feel better””? That is perfectly acceptable. Having said that, alternative therapies have been shown to help with diseases such as multiple sclerosis and cancer, as NICE has reported. Homeopathic remedies have specifically been proved to help women with PMS. Even if homeopathic medicines cannot be proved to be positively effective, at least they do no harm, as has been argued already. The EU directive, which we were not obliged to enforce, states that, in order to acquire marketing authorisation, a herbal product must have been used in medical practice for at least 30 years, with 15 of those years having been in the EU. This directive covers only products that are taken orally, used externally or inhaled. It has obviously been forgotten that there is another route for medicines, especially in France. Does the Minister have any information on that? Article 8 requires that the decision to license a medicine is based on the quality, efficacy and safety of the product. The fees for gaining a licence for a product will vary according to the number of active ingredients. As some products contain large numbers of ingredients, this could prove very expensive. How will it be decided which ingredients are active? Under the directive, the efficacy of traditional herbal medicinal products does not have to be supported using clinical studies. That is a great pity. The pharmacological effects and efficacy must be shown to be plausible on the basis of long-standing use and experience. How will NICE define ““plausible””? NICE determines all its decisions on the use of drugs on an analysis of their cost and clinical effectiveness and believes that homeopathic medicines should be treated in exactly the same way as traditional medicines in deciding whether the NHS should provide them to the public. What advice is the Minister now giving to NICE on this aspect? The Conservatives believe that the NHS should not exclude alternative therapies. If the NHS rules out providing a herbal therapy, it should do so only on the basis of indisputable evidence, as is the case with all other conventional medicines. Equally, if the NHS decides to provide a particular treatment, this should again be done on the back of evidence. We see the most effective route as the cost-clinical effectiveness criteria which NICE employs in the decision-making process on drug regulation and use. We have always said that as long as these remedies have been proven to be safe, they should be available to buy. Consumers are then free to make their own assessment.