Top British scientist warns homeopathic medicine puts lives at risk

Britain's most senior scientist has warned that homeopathic medicine is jeopardising lives.

According to Sir David King, the chief scientific adviser to the government, alternative medicine has no medical use and he has criticised the Department of Health for supporting the use of such therapies.

He says there is no evidence supporting the notion that homeopathic medicines are of any assistance whatsoever and they are a risk to the population because people take them with the expectation that they will treat a serious problem.

Sir David King says there is no evidence that homeopathy works and he is concerned that the Medicines Health and Regulatory Authority (MHRA) has allowed homeopaths to declare on labels what ailments their remedies will treat.

He questions how homeopathic medicines can be labelled by a department which is driven by science and his comments have reignited the debate about why the National Health Service in Britain continues to allow Primary Care Trusts to fund homeopathy.

King is not the only voice of dissent on the matter as the Royal College of Pathologists, the Medical Research Council and the Royal Society have all spoken out against plans to allow manufacturers to make therapeutic claims about their products.

Some Primary Care Trusts have already withdrawn funding for alternative homeopathic therapies.