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Safety and cost-effectiveness
Safety
A review of the safety of homeopathy, conducted by doctors associated with the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital (RLHH) studied papers published between 1970 and 1995 for reports of adverse effects of homeopathy.
Adverse effects reported in clinical trials were temporary aggravations of symptoms or other mild and transient effects (mostly headaches, tiredness, skin eruptions, dizziness or diarrhoea).
Only a very few isolated reports of proper adverse effects were attributable to homeopathic medicines.1 The authors of the review concluded: "Homeopathic medicines in high dilutions, prescribed by trained professionals, are probably safe and unlikely to provoke serious adverse reactions".
One of the expressed reasons for the popularity of homeopathy among patients at the RLHH is that it does not have the side effects associated with many conventional drugs.2
Cost-effectiveness
A full economic evaluation of homeopathy has, to date, taken place only once, mainly because of the large resources involved in doing so. The single study of this type – in Germany – the cost-effectiveness of the commercial homeopathic preparation Sinfrontal® was assessed in a placebo-controlled trial of adults with acute maxillary sinusitis.3 Sinfrontal® led to average incremental savings of 275 euros per patient compared with placebo over 22 days.
Two studies of non-randomised, parallel-group, design recorded the outcomes and costs of treatment by German and French General Practitioners (GPs) who integrated homeopathy in their practice, compared with those who did not.4, 5 The results of the two studies are congruent: GPs who integrated homeopathy in their practice achieved better results for similar cost.
References
1 Dantas F, Rampes H. Do homeopathic medicines provoke adverse effects? A systematic review. Br Homeopath J 2000; 89: S35–8.
2 Sharples F, van Haselen R. Patients’ perspectives on using a complementary medicine approach to their health. A survey at the Royal London Homoeopathic Hospital NHS Trust. London, 1998.
3 Kneis KC, Gandjour A. Economic evaluation of Sinfrontal® in the treatment of acute maxillary sinusitis in adults. Applied Health Economics & Health Policy 2009; 7: 181–91.
4 Witt C, Keil T, Selim D, et al. Outcome and costs of homeopathic and conventional treatment strategies: a comparative cohort study in patients with chronic disorders. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 2005; 13: 79–86.
5 Trichard M, Chaufferin G Nicoloyannis N. Pharmacoeconomic comparison between homeopathic and antibiotic treatment strategies in recurrent acute rhinopharyngitis in children. Homeopathy, 2005; 94: 3–9.