Boots removes homeopathic remedy advertising after MHRA upholds complaint
Multiples The complainant said the advertisements in question included indications for use, but that the homeopathic products were not licensed with indications.
Boots has removed all point of sales displays for homeopathic remedies from its stores after the MHRA upheld a complaint made by a member of the public about some of the adverts' content. The complainant said the advertisements in question included indications for use, but that the homeopathic products were not licensed with indications. The MHRA's Advertising Standards Unit took action in response to the complaint and the agency had upheld it, an MHRA spokesperson said. Boots and the drugs watchdog confirmed that the advertisements had been removed from the multiples' stores in September, following the complaint in July.
The 27 homeopathic products affected were indicated for conditions including earaches, chesty coughs and indigestion.
But the MHRA had not made a "general request" to Boots or other pharmacies to stop the advertisement of homeopathic products, an agency spokesperson stressed. "Homeopathic products can be advertised to the public provided the advertisement is in accordance with the terms of the licence for the product and the relevant legislation on advertising," they said.