Washington Post: FDA takes more aggressive stance toward homeopathic drugs

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...get-homeopathic-drugs-that-pose-safety-risks/

 

"Homeopathic DRUGS"?????

Surely the products cannot be described as drugs if no molecule of the original substance exists?

Homeopathic water, homeopathic sugar, or homeopathic products, might be valid names.... but drugs? What were they thinking?

This would seem to legitimise homeopathy rather than pull it properly down.

Unless of course they are using the word "homeopathic" to really mean organic/natural/alternative - in which case some of the ingredients may well be harmful.

 

This appears to be an abject admission of failure:

"Agency officials don't plan to begin requiring that homeopathic products get approval — officials say that would be impractical"

Why would it be impractical?

The case that precipitated this seems to be one in which atropine (belladonna) was present in a teething powder. Belladonna is a homeopathic agent, being a cause of symptoms like disease, and homeopathy does not necessarily involve extreme dilution. In this case the belladonna may have been in a 'weak' form, being relatively concentrated, rather than a potent form having been diluted out of existence!

It would be very simple to say that toxic substances cannot be used in the manufacture of health remedies. That would rule out many of the agents used in homeopathy and a good thing too.

 

Ah... @Jonathan Edwards I stand corrected.

The irony of the "weak" version of a homeopathic remedy in fact being able to contain a drug at any significant concentration had escaped me entirely!