Boots boss admits they sell homeopathic remedies 'because they're popular, not because they work'



Paul Bennett admits that Boots sells homeopathic remedies because they're popular - despite a lack of scientific evidence that they work

It could go down as a Boot in Mouth moment.



Yesterday, the company that boasts shelf upon shelf of arnica, St John's wort, flower remedies and calendula cream admitted that homeopathy doesn't necessarily work.



But it does sell. Which according to Paul Bennett, the man from Boots, is why the pharmacy chain stocks such products in the first place.



Mr Bennett, professional standards director for Boots, told a committee of MPs that there was no medical evidence that homeopathic pills and potions work.

'There is certainly a consumer demand for these products,' he said. 'I have no evidence to suggest they are efficacious.



'It is about consumer choice for us and a large number of our customers believe they are efficacious.'



His declaration recalls Gerald Ratner's infamous admission in 1991 that one of the gifts sold by his chain of jewellers was 'total crap'.



Mr Bennett made his comments to the House of Commons Science and Technology Committee, which is investigating the scientific evidence behind homeopathy.



This system of complementary medicine, which boasts Prince Charles as a fan, claims to treat and prevent disease by using greatly diluted forms of herbs and minerals.

It is based on the principle that 'like cures like' - that an illness can be treated by substances that produce similar symptoms.

Boots sells a large range of homeopathic medicines including arnica, St John's wort, flower remedies and calendula cream

For example, it is believed onions, which make eyes itchy and tearful, can be used to relieve the symptoms of hay fever.



Scientists, however-argue that the 'cures' are so diluted they are unlikely to contain any of the original substance.



Popular homeopathic treatments include arnica, a plant-based remedy used to treat bruising, and malaria nosode, anti-malaria tablets made from African swamp water, rotting plants and mosquito eggs and larvae.



Arnica, sold by Boots, is a popular herbal treatment used to treat cuts and bruises

Since 2006, manufacturers have been allowed to claim their products can treat specific ailments, as long as they can prove the treatment is safe.



Unlike conventional medicines, they do not have to show that the remedies actually work. Instead, they only have to show that the remedy has a history of being used to treat an illness.



Critics fear that the new system could lead to life-threatening illnesses going undiagnosed, or to patients binning the tablets prescribed by their GP in favour of an unproven alternative.



Mr Bennett told the committee that it would be wrong to deny customers-access to homeopathic medicines.

'At the root of this is that these are regulated products which are safe,' he said.



'Large numbers of customers will believe that they are efficacious through their own experience and to deny someone access to a product of that nature would be wrong.'



The committee also heard there is little evidence the remedies work other than as a placebo - making people feel better simply because they are being cared for.



But Robert Wilson, chairman of the British Association of Homeopathic Manufacturers, told the committee that there is 'strong evidence' that homeopathy works.



Asked why he had not supplied Mr Bennett or Boots with the details, he said: 'He hasn't asked us specifically about the efficacy of homeopathic medicine. Boots are a very important retailer, they sell a great deal of these products. If these products don't work beyond the placebo effect, why do people keep buying them?'

