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DOI: 10.1055/a-2419-1602
Consensus Statement on the Outcome of the European Herbal Health Products Summit – Which Way Forward?
The authors are grateful to the contributors of the European Herbal Health Products Summit on 20 February 2024.
Abstract
Herbal medicinal products are a vital part of the healthcare system in Europe and beyond. Being predominantly sold as non-prescription medicines in pharmacies, they are very popular with patients, physicians, and pharmacists and are therefore an important part of self-medication. Interest in this sector has recently gained momentum, reflecting the ongoing revision of the general pharmaceutical legislation and the recent discussion on nutrition and health claims on foods based on the implementation report of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 by the European Parliament [1]. Therefore, on 20th February 2024, the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA), in collaboration with the German Pharmaceutical Industry Association (BPI) and the German Medicines Manufacturersʼ Association (BAH, now Pharma Deutschland), hosted an in-person summit in Brussels entitled ‘European Herbal Health Products Summit – Which way forward?ʼ. The summit featured a wide range of speakers, including policymakers, regulatory authorities, industry representatives, and academic experts. It was divided into several sessions covering topics such as the future and relevance of herbal medicinal products in the EU, the revision of the EU pharmaceutical legislation, and the resulting impact on herbal medicinal products. Furthermore, the discussions delved into the “Health Claims Regulation” – the European Parliamentʼs implementation report and the related regulatory challenges of herbal medicinal products at an EU level. This consensus paper summarises the current status and provided recommendations to pave the way for future strategies to ascertain the continued use of herbal medicinal products as an important therapeutic option for patients.
Keywords
herbal medicinal products - herbal medicines - botanicals - EU pharmaceutical legislation - health claimsPublication History
Received: 02 July 2024
Accepted after revision: 10 September 2024
Article published online:
10 October 2024
© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)
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References
- 1 Implementation report on Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods: European Parliament resolution of 18 January 2024 on the implementation of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 on nutrition and health claims made on foods (2023/2081 (INI)); P9 TA(2024)0040. Accessed on 30th September 2024 at: https://www.europarl.europa.eu/doceo/document/TA-9-2024-0040_EN.html
- 2 Directive 2001/83/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 6 November 2001 on the Community code relating to medicinal products for human use. OJ L 311, 28. 11.2001, 67–128. Accessed on 30th September 2024 at: https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/en/TXT/?uri=CELEX%253A32001L0083
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