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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Planta Med 2024; 90(14): 1052-1055
DOI: 10.1055/a-2419-1602
Biological and Pharmacological Activity
Perspectives

Consensus Statement on the Outcome of the European Herbal Health Products Summit – Which Way Forward?

Michael Heinrich 
1   Society of Medicinal Plants and Natural Product Research (GA), Neumarkt, Germany
2   Pharmacognosy & Phytotherapy, UCL School of Pharmacy, London, United Kingdom/Department of Chinese Pharmaceutical Sciences and Chinese Medicine Resources, College of Chinese Medicine, China Medical University, Taichung City, Taiwan
,
Babette Reiken
3   G. Pohl-Boskamp GmbH & Co.KG, Hohenlockstedt, Germany
,
Bernd Roether
1   Society of Medicinal Plants and Natural Product Research (GA), Neumarkt, Germany
4   Bionorica SE, Neumarkt, Germany
,
Angela Müller
5   Dr. Willmar Schwabe GmbH & Co.KG, Karlsruhe, Germany
,
Julia Rumsch
6   Bundesverband der Pharmazeutischen Industrie e. V., Berlin, Germany
,
Nico Symma
7   Pharma Deutschland e. V., Bonn, Germany
› Author AffiliationsThe authors are grateful to the contributors of the European Herbal Health Products Summit on 20 February 2024.
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Abstract

Herbal medicinal products are a vital part of the healthcare system in Europe and beyond. Being predominantly sold as non-prescription medicines in pharmacies, they are very popular with patients, physicians, and pharmacists and are therefore an important part of self-medication. Interest in this sector has recently gained momentum, reflecting the ongoing revision of the general pharmaceutical legislation and the recent discussion on nutrition and health claims on foods based on the implementation report of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 by the European Parliament [1]. Therefore, on 20th February 2024, the Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (GA), in collaboration with the German Pharmaceutical Industry Association (BPI) and the German Medicines Manufacturersʼ Association (BAH, now Pharma Deutschland), hosted an in-person summit in Brussels entitled ‘European Herbal Health Products Summit – Which way forward?ʼ. The summit featured a wide range of speakers, including policymakers, regulatory authorities, industry representatives, and academic experts. It was divided into several sessions covering topics such as the future and relevance of herbal medicinal products in the EU, the revision of the EU pharmaceutical legislation, and the resulting impact on herbal medicinal products. Furthermore, the discussions delved into the “Health Claims Regulation” – the European Parliamentʼs implementation report and the related regulatory challenges of herbal medicinal products at an EU level. This consensus paper summarises the current status and provided recommendations to pave the way for future strategies to ascertain the continued use of herbal medicinal products as an important therapeutic option for patients.

Keywords

herbal medicinal products - herbal medicines - botanicals - EU pharmaceutical legislation - health claims


Publication History

Received: 02 July 2024

Accepted after revision: 10 September 2024

Article published online:
10 October 2024

© 2024. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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  • References

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