Patients should no longer get homoeopathic treatment on the NHS because there is no evidence it works and is little better than 'active deception', claims an influential committee of MPs.
They dismissed the remedies as 'sugar pills' which should not be allowed to carry medical claims.
The Commons Science and Technology Committee said homoeopathic pills were simply a placebo - a non-active treatment that makes patients feel better.
There are four NHS hospitals and clinics offering homoeopathy, which has a 200-year-old tradition and been funded on the NHS since its inception in 1948. The Prince of Wales and his mother the Queen are known supporters of homoeopathy.
But it has come under increasing attack from the scientific establishment as a waste of public money - although it is unclear how much the NHS is spending on it. Estimates of the annual cost range from £157,000 on remedies to £4 million in total.
Homoeopathy treats 'like with like' by using highly diluted substances which if taken in larger doses would bring on the symptoms of the illness being treated.
The Committee said it was not sitting in judgement about whether it worked, but its report said the mode of action was 'scientifically implausible' and no further research was necessary.
'In our view, the systematic reviews and meta-analyses conclusively demonstrate that homoeopathic products perform no better than placebos' it said.
Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis, who is chairman of the cross-party committee, said giving placebos to NHS patients was asking doctors to participate in 'active deception. (Daily Mail)
They dismissed the remedies as 'sugar pills' which should not be allowed to carry medical claims.The Commons Science and Technology Committee said homoeopathic pills were simply a placebo - a non-active treatment that makes patients feel better.
There are four NHS hospitals and clinics offering homoeopathy, which has a 200-year-old tradition and been funded on the NHS since its inception in 1948. The Prince of Wales and his mother the Queen are known supporters of homoeopathy.
But it has come under increasing attack from the scientific establishment as a waste of public money - although it is unclear how much the NHS is spending on it. Estimates of the annual cost range from £157,000 on remedies to £4 million in total.
Homoeopathy treats 'like with like' by using highly diluted substances which if taken in larger doses would bring on the symptoms of the illness being treated.
The Committee said it was not sitting in judgement about whether it worked, but its report said the mode of action was 'scientifically implausible' and no further research was necessary.
'In our view, the systematic reviews and meta-analyses conclusively demonstrate that homoeopathic products perform no better than placebos' it said.
Liberal Democrat MP Phil Willis, who is chairman of the cross-party committee, said giving placebos to NHS patients was asking doctors to participate in 'active deception. (Daily Mail)
