RCVS will review homeopathy guidance
"...the College’s current position statement and guidance regarding complementary medicines will both be reviewed and this is now ongoing."
The RCVS will review its current position and guidance on complementary medicines following a meeting of the Standards Committee, it was confirmed today (26 January).
An RCVS spokesperson said: “At the RCVS Standards Committee meeting on Wednesday 25 January 2017 there was extensive discussion regarding complementary medicines.
“The outcome of these discussions is that the College’s current position statement and guidance regarding complementary medicines will both be reviewed and this is now ongoing.”
In November last year the college announced its intention to review the guidance in January 2017, in light of ‘a number of different factors’, including the way in which homeopathy is viewed by the NHS, as well as recent comments by the Advertising Standards Authority regarding its guidance on claims made in marketing materials for homeopathic treatments.
The college’s current position on alternative and complementary therapies, including homeopathy, is as follows: ‘As the regulator of the veterinary profession, we emphasise the importance of evidence-based veterinary medicine. We recommend that there should therefore be a cautious approach to homeopathy for animals and that normal evidential standards be applied to complementary treatments. We believe it is also essential that such treatments, until they can be proved, are complementary rather than ‘alternative’ and that they are therefore used alongside conventional treatment.
‘However, whatever views there may be within the veterinary profession, it is clear that there is a demand from some clients for complementary therapies for their animals. It is better that they should seek advice from a veterinary surgeon - who is qualified to make a diagnosis, and can be held to account for the treatment given - rather than turning to a practitioner who does not have veterinary training.
‘Furthermore, homeopathy is currently accepted by society and recognised by UK medicines legislation and does not, in itself, cause harm to animals. While this is the case it is difficult to envisage any justification for banning a small number of veterinary surgeons from practising homeopathy.’
Homeopathy has been the subject of ongoing debate in the veterinary press in recent years, since a petition was launched on Change.org calling for it to be blacklisted so that such treatments can no longer be prescribed by veterinary surgeons. The petition closed with 3,364 supporters.
Companies marketing medicines for small pets exempt from authorisation must submit their annual return to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) by 30 November 2026.
