The effect of the European traditional use directive on the register of herbal medicinal products in Spain.

Background Directive 2004/24/EC, which came into force in 2011, created new regulatory requirements for traditional herbal medicines (THM). This study compared the Spanish THM registry before and after the Directive came fully into force in 2011. Methods We consulted the herbal medicinal plant and d...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Tejedor García, Noelia, García-Pastor, Coral, Navalmoral-Arenas, Estefanía, Blas-Espada, Javier, Madrigal-Martínez, Antonio, De Lucio-Cazaña, Francisco Javier
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2015
País:España
Institución:Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
Repositorio:DDFV. Repositorio Institucional de la Universidad Francisco de Vitoria
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ddfv.ufv.es:10641/5368
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/10641/5368
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Traditional medicine
Complementary therapies
Herbal Medicine
Legislation and jurisprudence
Dietary Supplements
Descripción
Sumario:Background Directive 2004/24/EC, which came into force in 2011, created new regulatory requirements for traditional herbal medicines (THM). This study compared the Spanish THM registry before and after the Directive came fully into force in 2011. Methods We consulted the herbal medicinal plant and drug catalogues (General Council of the Official Colleges of Pharmacists), the website of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), and retail web sites. Results Of 315 THM (from 39 companies) licensed in Spain in 2010, only 48 (10 companies) remained licensed in 2013, mainly due to their withdrawal: the EMA had received just 123 applications from Spain and at least 34% formerly licensed THM had shifted to the less strictly regulated food sector, while up to 54% might have disappeared from the market. However, there is still a significant presence of retail websites making illegal health claims. Conclusion In Spain, the public health benefits of the Directive 2004/24/EC might be less than expected.