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EDITOR IN CHIEF- ABDULLAH BIN SALIM AL SHUEILI

Homeopathy dips after years of high growth in Germany

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The market for homeopathic medicines has boomed for years in health-conscious Germany, at the same time as the debate has raged over its efficacy, but now there are signs of a downturn. Sales in this market, more than $750 million annually, fell substantially over 2017. And doctors are tending to prescribe medications labelled as homeopathic less frequently, according to recent figures. Nevertheless, homeopathy is increasingly popular among consumers, according to reports from the pharmaceutical sector. There is “rising acceptance and use by end-users and among health professionals,” the German association of medication manufacturers (BAH) said in November.


The association of German alternative health practitioners pointed to a growing market in homeopathic products, based on figures from 2016.


That may have been the case in the past, but more recent figures show a clear decline.


According to IQVIA, which conducts market research for the pharmaceutical sector, more than 53 million sales of homeopathic remedies passed over the counter in 2017. Although still a large number, the figure was 3.6 per cent down on the year.


Part of the decline was down to consumers buying fewer homeopathic remedies, but a large part was caused by doctors being less inclined to write homeopathic prescriptions. There was a steep fall in payouts by health insurers for homeopathic remedies.


A spokesman for Insight Health said sales of the 10 most frequently sold homeopathic remedies were all falling. One possible reason for declining interest could be the long-running debate on efficacy. Homeopathic remedies are prepared using plant and animal extracts, such as excreta from bees or dogs, as well as known poisons, such as mercury.


These are diluted to such an extent that virtually nothing is left of the original substance. Many health insurers steer clear of homeopathy, while others demand a higher premium or set conditions.


Critics say the kinds of exhaustive testing carried out on new preparations in conventional medicine are absent in the case of homeopathic remedies.


According to Juergen Windeler of Germany’s IQWiG medication testing institute, many insurers themselves dismiss the usefulness of homeopathy. They include it in their insurance schemes merely in order to draw policy holders. Nevertheless, many medical associations offer official recognition to courses taken in homeopathy.


Highly regarded universities offer homeopathy as a choice in their medical degrees. A lecturer at Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University (LMU) came in for criticism recently after it was stated in the lecture material that homeopathy worked “in principle like a vaccination.” — dpa


Hinnerk Feldwisch-Drentrup


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