The Commission of the Russian Academy of Sciences for Combating Pseudoscience and Falsification of Scientific Research advises the Ministry of Health to withdraw homeopathic medicines from state clinics, as well as introduce special labeling and a separate display for them in pharmacies.
This is stated in the memorandum published by the commission. Scientists note that the principles of homeopathy and explanations of the mechanisms of its action contradict the known chemical, physical and biological laws, and there is no convincing evidence of its effectiveness.
"Homeopathic methods of diagnosis and treatment should be classified as pseudoscientific," the document says.
The Commission recommends that the Ministry of Health phase out homeopathic medicines in public hospitals and not include homeopathy in the standards of medical care and treatment protocols.
The instructions for drugs should include information about the lack of proven clinical efficacy, and for drugs that actually do not contain active substances, only auxiliary components (water, lactose) should be indicated, the academicians noted.
In addition, pharmacies are advised not to share homeopathic medicines together with medicinal ones and go to selling them at a separate counter.
The RAS Commission recommends that physicians inform patients about the pseudoscience of homeopathy, avoid cooperation with organizations that distribute it, and also abandon "the unethical practice of prescribing homeopathic medicines to achieve the placebo effect."
Earlier, the media reported that graduates of the Moscow Sechenov Medical University appealed to the head of the Ministry of Health, Veronika Skvortsova, with a request to ban the teaching of homeopathy in medical universities. Homeopathy has been proven ineffective by many studies, and its use is extremely dangerous, "for example, in cancer, cardiovascular diseases, mental disorders," - said in a petition published on the website change.org.
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