The European Union defines as homeopathic medicinal product as:
 “any medicinal product prepared from products, substances or compositions called homeopathic stocks in accordance with a homeopathic manufacturing procedure described by the European Pharmacopoeia or, in absence thereof, by the pharmacopoeias currently used officially in the Member States.”
• European Directive 2001/83/CE
• European Directive 2004/27/CE

Revised Policy Document 2010: Homeopathic Doctors and Practitioners Jointly Express Common Concerns Over Problems With Access to Homeopathic Medicines

Homeopathic doctors and homeopaths are so concerned over the situation they and their patients are currently facing with regard to access to high quality homeopathic medicinal products in Europe, that representatives of ECCH and the European Committee for Homeopathy (ECH) came together in 2008 to draw up a joint public statement expressing their concerns.The paper is primarily addressed to those European, EU and national authorities who currently regulate homeopathic medicinal products in Europe.

Our aims in brief are
• to preserve access to the full materia medica of homeopathic medicinal products
• to ensure that patients and practitioners have the full range of homeopathic medicinal
products available in excellent quality (quality also implies safety).
• to facilitate and support ongoing innovation in the sector of homeopathic medicinal
products.

A copy of the revised joint statement is attached here:

ecch:ech positionpaper hmps in europe 2010.pdf

The Availability and Quality of Homeopathic Remedies in Europe
An ECCH Policy Document on Homeopathic Remedies in Europe

There are currently threats to the availability of high quality homeopathic
remedies in Europe which threaten to limit the potential benefits of homeoathic treatment to members of the European public.
The recent review of the EU legislation on pharmaceuticals has meant that the wording of the previous separate sub-directives for homeopathic medical products 92/73/EEC 92/74/EEC has now been integrated into the main directive governing all pharmaceuticals. What this means for how homeopathic medicinal products will be treated in the future remains to be seen and for the moment is the cause of concern.

The new directive has to be implemented by all EU Member States by October 2005. ECCH member associations are currently making contact with the medicines agencies of members states in order to offer their guidance on how the legislation on homeopathics is implemented in order to protect the rights of patients to have the best homeopathic treatment from practitioners.

This ECCH Policy document outlines the concerns and resulting policy recommendations of the ECCH Council on the important issue of the availability and quality of homeopathic remedies in Europe.

For a paper copy please contact the ECCH Secretariat

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