Press release: Appointments to the Advisory Board on the Registration of Homeopathic Products

Press release

Date:	15 March 2010
Time:	10:00
Contact:	Press Office 020 3080 7651 or press.office@mhra.gsi.gov.uk Out-of-hours 07770 446 189

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the Appointments Commission are pleased to announce the appointment of six members to the Advisory Board on the Registration of Homeopathic Products (ABRHP).

The ABRHP is an independent body that works closely with the MHRA, advising UK health ministers on the regulation of homeopathic products.

Professor Gillian Eccleston is currently professor of pharmaceutics at Strathclyde University. She is also a member of the Chemistry, Pharmacy and Standards Expert Advisory Group and a member of the British Pharmacopeia Commission.

Mr Andrew Farrow is currently patient/carer governor of the Salisbury Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. He has been appointed as a lay representative.

Mr Needleman is currently a registered community pharmacist and homeopath.

Dr Gary Smyth is currently a general practitioner and a homeopathic physician in Northern Ireland.

Dr Dominic Williams is currently a senior lecturer at the Medical Research Council’s Centre for Drug Safety Science at the University of Liverpool.

Dr Alan Worsley is currently principal lecturer of pharmacognosy and pharmacy practice at the University of Sunderland.

All members have been appointed for a four year term commencing 1 April 2010.

These appointments are not remunerated, however a fee of £275 per meeting for members is paid to cover preparation and attendance together with any travel and accommodation costs.

All appointments are made on merit. Political activity plays no part in the selection process. In accordance with the original Nolan Recommendations there is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if declared) to be made public.

The appointments have been made in accordance with the Commissioner for Public Appointments Code of Practice.

Notes to Editor

1. Details of the Advisory Board on the Registration of Homoeopathic Products can be found on the MHRA website. 
2. Details of the Appointments Commission is available on the Appointments Commission website (external site). 
3. Details of the Nolan Recommendations can be found on the Commissioner for Public Appointments website (external site). 
4. The MHRA is the government agency responsible for ensuring that medicines and medical devices work, and are acceptably safe. No product is risk-free. Underpinning all our work lie robust and fact-based judgments to ensure that the benefits to patients and the public justify the risks. We keep watch over medicines and devices, and take any necessary action to protect the public promptly if there is a problem. We encourage everyone –the public and healthcare professionals as well as the industry – to tell us about any problems with a medicine or medical device, so that we can investigate and take any necessary action.