US market is valued at more than $3 billion.

The Federal Trade Commission has said that homeopathic medicines sold in the US need to carry a declaration that there is no scientific evidence to prove the efficacy of the medicine unless a valid study using current scientific methods confirms the effectiveness of the medicine.

The new ‘Enforcement Policy Statement on Marketing Claims for Over-the-Counter (OTC) Homeopathic Drugs’ explains that the FTC will hold efficacy and safety claims for OTC homeopathic drugs to the same standard as other products making similar claims. According to the policy statement, all over-the-counter homeopathic medicines being sold will have to carry a disclaimer that the effect of the medicines are based on age-old principles and have no scientific backing.

“In general, homeopathic product claims are not based on modern scientific methods and are not accepted by modern medical experts, but homeopathy nevertheless has many adherents,” said the FTC notice.

Companies must have competent and reliable scientific evidence for health-related claims, including claims that a product can treat specific conditions. The statement describes the type of scientific evidence that the Commission requires of companies making such claims for their products.

“The FTC has long recognized that marketing claims may include additional explanatory information in order to prevent the claims from being misleading. Accordingly, the promotion of an OTC homeopathic product for an indication that is not substantiated by competent and reliable scientific evidence may not be deceptive if that promotion effectively communicates to consumers that there is no scientific evidence that the product works, and the product’s claims are based only on theories of homeopathy from the 1700s that are not accepted by most modern medical experts,” the FTC notice stated.

Homeopathy, which dates back to the 1700s, is based on the theory that disease symptoms can be treated by minute doses of substances that produce similar symptoms when provided in larger doses to healthy people. Many homeopathic products are diluted to such an extent that they no longer contain detectable levels of the initial substance.

Transparency Market Research estimates that global homeopathy product market, which was valued at $3,867.7 million in 2015, is expected to reach $17,486.2 million by the end of 2024. The homeopathic market in the US is estimated at more than $3 billion.