Note: This advice is given by the CAP Executive about non-broadcast advertising. It does not constitute legal advice. It does not bind CAP, CAP advisory panels or the Advertising Standards Authority.
Legislation requires that Homeopathic medicinal products must be registered to one of three liscenscing schemes before they are marketed. The type of product registration will in part dictate the permissable types of claims (if any) for any individual product. Therefore, any claim that product ‘x’ can treat medical condition ‘y’ should only be made about registered products, if that particular registration permits it. Marketers of homeopathic medicine should review this guidance from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) before advertising a homeopathic medicine.
Rule 12.20 of the CAP Code states that “Homeopathic medicinal products must be registered in the UK. Any product information given in the marketing communication should be confined to what appears on the label. Marketing communications must include a warning to consult a doctor if symptoms persist. Marketing communications for an unlicensed product must not make a medicinal or therapeutic claim or refer to an ailment unless authorised by the MHRA to do so.”
The Code also indicates (Rul 12.13) that advertising for homeopathic medicines should include mandatory information as indicated by the MHRA in its Blue Guide. Appendix 2 looks specifically at Homeopathic medicines.
See ‘Therapies: Homeopathy’.