WHO Announces Global Strategy to Regulate CAM

WHO Announces Global Strategy to Regulate CAM

GENEVA--The World Health Organization (WHO) announced a global strategy to address issues of policy, safety, efficacy, quality, access, rational use, regulation, evidence, biodiversity, and preservation and protection of traditional medicine. The strategy, which has been in planning the last three years, spans the years 2002 through 2005. Since traditional medicine varies greatly from country to country--making the definition of precise terminology difficult--the published strategy "must be regarded as a working document only that may later have to be modified," according to WHO (www.who.int).

The strategy is a framework designed to assist countries in regulating traditional or complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). Only 25 countries currently have such policies in place, WHO said. "Such a policy provides a sound basis for defining the role of traditional medicine in national health care delivery ...[in which] access is equitable, and that the authenticity, safety and efficacy of therapies are assured."

The WHO strategy could run into problems trying to put global regulations in place, however, depending on each country's current system.

"I understand their desire to have some kind of structure established in countries to regulate the practitioners and the practice, but they certainly should not lose sight of the fact that this is the primary medicine for the majority of the world's population," said John Cardellina, vice president for botanical science for the Council for Responsible Nutrition.

The WHO release said commercialization of unregulated CAM could make therapies unaffordable to many who rely on them as their primary source of health care.

"This strategy is intended to tap into [CAM's] real potential for people's health and well-being, while minimizing the risks of unproven or misused remedies," said Yasuhiro Suzuki, Ph.D., WHO executive director for health technology and pharmaceuticals. In countries where as many as one-third of the population has no access to essential medicine, the provision of safe and effective CAM therapies could become a crucial tool in increasing health care access, the WHO release stated.

The story was picked up by Reuters with a headline reading "Alternative Medicines May Pose Risk, U.N. Warns." The article's author wrote alternative medicines "are often misused and may harm patients," although the WHO release stated, "problems may arise out of incorrect use of traditional therapies." Both cited a situation in Belgium wherein 70 people required renal transplants or kidney dialysis after a misinterpretation of Chinese characters led to the wrong herb being used in a supplement during a clinical trial.

The impact to U.S. supplement companies would likely be little, at least for the time being. "A regulatory scheme like this would not impact the dietary supplement industry as much as it would impact the alternative practitioners like chiropractors, acupuncturists and magnet therapists," Cardellina said.