Editing Homeopathy (section)

===21st century: renewed criticism===

Since the beginning of the 21st century, a series of [[Meta-analysis|meta-analyses]] have further shown that the therapeutic claims of homeopathy lack scientific justification.<ref name="champe">{{cite journal |last1=Crockett |first1=Chambers |title=Death by homeopathy: issues for civil, criminal and coronial law and for health service policy |pmid=22558899 |journal=Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics |volume=19 |issue=3 |pages=454–78 |year=2012 }}</ref> This had led to a decrease or suspension of funding by many governments. In a 2010 report, the [[Science and Technology Select Committee|Science and Technology Committee of the United Kingdom House of Commons]] recommended that homeopathy should no longer receive [[National Health Service]] (NHS) funding due its lack of scientific credibility;<ref name="champe" /> NHS funding for homeopathy ceased in 2017.<ref name="TNHS" /> They also asked the [[Department of Health and Social Care|Department of Health]] in the UK to add homeopathic remedies to the list of forbidden prescription items.<ref name="bbc-blacklist" />

In 2015, the [[National Health and Medical Research Council]] of Australia found that "there are no health conditions for which there is reliable evidence that homeopathy is effective".<ref>{{cite web |title=The Australian report |url=https://www.hri-research.org/resources/homeopathy-the-debate/the-australian-report-on-homeopathy/ |website=HRI Research |access-date=13 August 2018|date=April 6, 2017 }}</ref> The federal government only ended up accepting three of the 45 recommendations made by the 2018 review of Pharmacy Remuneration and Regulation.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Abusson|first1=Kate|date=3 May 2018|title=Pharmacies avoid homeopathy ban as government parks recommendations|work=Sydney Morning Herald|url=https://www.smh.com.au/national/pharmacies-avoid-homeopathy-ban-as-government-parks-recommendations-20180503-p4zd94.html|access-date=13 August 2018}}</ref> The same year the US [[Food and Drug Administration]] (FDA) held a hearing requesting public comment on the regulation of homeopathic drugs.<ref name="Science42115">{{cite news|author1=Kelly Servick|date=April 21, 2015|title=FDA takes new look at homeopathy|work=Science|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/fda-takes-new-look-homeopathy|access-date=April 23, 2015|quote=Under FDA guidelines issued in 1988, a company can sell homeopathic products over the counter without demonstrating their safety or efficacy, and―unlike dietary supplements―their packaging can include claims about treating specific conditions, as long as they are "self-limiting" and not chronic. Such conditions include sprains, colds, or allergies.}}</ref> In 2017 the FDA announced it would strengthen regulation of homeopathic products.<ref name="Frazier FDA to Reg">{{cite journal|last1=Frazier|first1=Kendrick|author-link=Kendrick Frazier|date=2018|title=FDA to Regulate Some Homeopathic Products; CFI Hails Move|journal=[[Skeptical Inquirer]]|volume=42|issue=2|page=12}}</ref>

The American non-profit [[Center for Inquiry]] (CFI) filed a lawsuit in 2018 against the [[CVS Pharmacy|CVS]] pharmacy for consumer fraud over its sale of homeopathic medicines.<ref name="CVS">{{cite press release|author=<!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->|title=CENTER FOR INQUIRY SUES CVS FOR FRAUD OVER SALE OF HOMEOPATHIC FAKE MEDICINE|url=https://centerforinquiry.org/press_releases/cfi-sues-cvs/|publisher=Center for Inquiry|date=9 July 2018|access-date=9 July 2018}}</ref> It claimed that CVS was selling homeopathic products on an easier-to-obtain basis than standard medication.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Bellamy|first1=Jann|title=CVS sued for deceiving consumers in sale of homeopathic remedies|url=https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/cvs-sued-for-deceiving-consumers-in-sale-of-homeopathic-remedies/|access-date=22 January 2019|website=Science Based Medicine|date=July 19, 2018}}</ref> In 2019, CFI brought a similar lawsuit against [[Walmart]] for "committing wide-scale consumer fraud and endangering the health of its customers through its sale and marketing of homeopathic medicines".<ref>{{cite magazine|last=Fidalgo|first=Paul|date=September 2019|title=CFI sues Walmart for fraud for selling homeopathic fake medicine|magazine=[[Skeptical Inquirer]]|location=Amherst, NY|publisher=Center for Inquiry}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last1=Vyse|first1=Stuart|author-link=Stuart Vyse|title=What Should Become of a Monument to Pseudoscience?|url=https://skepticalinquirer.org/exclusive/what-should-become-of-a-monument-to-pseudoscience/|access-date=2 December 2019|website=Skeptical Inquirer|date=July 10, 2019|publisher=Center for Inquiry}}</ref> They also conducted a survey in which they found consumers felt ripped off when informed of the lack of evidence for the efficacy of homeopathic remedies, such as those sold by Walmart and CVS.<ref name="CFISurvey SI 2019">{{cite journal|last1=Frazier|first1=Kendrick|authorlink= Kendrick Frazier|date=2019|title=CFI survey on Homeopathy: Consumers feel scammed by Walmart and CVS|journal=Skeptical Inquirer|volume=43|issue=6|page=7}}</ref><ref name="CFI 2019 Survey">{{cite web|last1=Fidalgo|first1=Paul|title=CONSUMERS FEEL "SCAMMED" BY WALMART AND CVS OVER HOMEOPATHIC FAKE MEDICINE, SURVEY SHOWS|url=https://centerforinquiry.org/press_releases/consumers-feel-scammed-by-walmart-and-cvs-over-homeopathic-fake-medicine/|access-date=9 November 2019|website=Center for Inquiry|date=September 17, 2019}}</ref>

In 2021, the French healthcare minister phased out social security reimbursements for homeopathic drugs.<ref name="GuardianFrance" /><ref name="FranceEndFunding2021" /> France has long had a stronger belief in the virtues of homeopathic drugs than many other countries and the world's biggest manufacturer of alternative medicine drugs, [[Boiron]], is located in that country.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-health-homeopathy/france-will-end-healthcare-refunds-for-homeopathic-drugs-idUSKCN1U42B6 |title=France will end healthcare refunds for homeopathic drugs |website=[[Reuters]] |date=July 9, 2019}}</ref> Spain has also announced moves to ban homeopathy and other pseudotherapies.<ref name="El Pais 2019-07-30" /> In 2016, the [[University of Barcelona]] cancelled its master's degree in Homeopathy citing "lack of scientific basis", after advice from the Spanish Ministry of Health.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Ansede|first1=Manuel|date=March 4, 2016|title=La Universidad de Barcelona fulmina su máster de homeopatía|newspaper=El País|url=http://elpais.com/elpais/2016/03/01/ciencia/1456856774_534268.html}}</ref> Shortly afterwards the [[University of Valencia]] announced the elimination of its Masters in Homeopathy.<ref>{{cite web|date=April 7, 2016|title=El Máster de Homeopatía de la Universidad de Valencia cancela su edición para el próximo curso.|url=http://www.abc.es/sociedad/abci-master-homeopatia-universidad-valencia-cancela-edicion-para-proximo-curso-201604072200_noticia.html|publisher=Diario ABC}}</ref>