Dáil Éireann díospóireacht -
Tuesday, 30 May 2000

Vol. 520 No. 1

Written Answers. - Medicinal Products.

John McGuinness

Ceist:

199 Mr. McGuinness asked the Minister for Health and Children the progress, if any, in relation to establishing a working group in the Department to examine the issue of natural health products and the issue of St. John's Wort; his view on whether an article (details supplied) on this issue is appropriate or helpful; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15000/00]

Minister for Health and Children (Mr. Martin)

Officials of my Department have had discussions with officers of the Irish Medicines Board concerning the issue of natural health products, including St. John's Wort. The Irish Medicines Board is currently examining, at my request, the nature of the controls which would be applied in the context of an interim national licensing scheme for traditional and alternative medicinal products.

The article to which the Deputy refers was included in the information pack sent by the Irish Medicines Board to all members of the Oireachtas and all Irish MEPs as a consequence of the appearance of the officers of the board at the meeting of the Oireachtas Joint Committees on Health and Children and Enterprise and Small Business which discussed St. John's Wort and related matters. The pack consisted of 15 different items and included the board's presentation to the above meeting, documents relating to St. John's Wort and the general issues surrounding the safety of herbal medicines, the board's recently published Guide to the Definition of a Medicinal Product, and the article by Mr. Jaroff.

I have been advised by the Irish Medicines Board that it considered the article in question as simply another view in relation to the general issues surrounding the safety of herbal medicines, published in a reputable non technical journal. The board wishes to point out that the inclusion in the information pack of this article, which incidently did not mention St. John's Wort, did not constitute an endorsement by the Irish Medicines Board of the view expressed.