The UK drugs watchdog is studying a complaint about Boots’ website from the pressure group responsible for homeopathy protests across the UK.

Boots is accused of breaching MHRA rules by promoting homeopathic products as cures for certain conditions. The multiple has denied the allegations and the MHRA has said no investigation has been launched. The material was featured on an educational website that did not support product sales, Boots stressed.

The complaint was made by the Merseyside Skeptics Society, which organised anti-homeopathy protests outside Boots stores earlier this month (C+D, February 6, p4).

A letter from the group to the MHRA said: “It appears to us that Boots is falling short of its aims to reflect integrity in the marketplace and is taking advantage of patients by selling products they admit to having no evidence for efficacy.”

Boots responded with a statement: “Bootslearningstore.com is our educational website for schools and does not support the sale of any specific products. Therefore the information on the site does not breach any advertising laws.”

The products cited by the group were “correctly and legally labelled” and sold in accordance with MHRA regulations, the spokeswoman added.

The MHRA confirmed it had received the letter and was dealing with it, but stressed it was looking into a complaint and no investigation had been launched.

Since the complaint to the MHRA, a section of the Boots Learning Centre website outlining the use of homeopathy has been removed. However, the spokeswoman said the information had been taken down by Boots “as part of our regular review of the site” as it had been designed to support a course that ended in 2009.