Conflict of interest in banning medicines

The Irish Medicines Board is now in the business of banning widespread amounts of medicines and herbal remedies off our pharmacy and supermarket shelves that have been sold for decades without any problems.

The recent casualty has been echinacea, which some regard as an effective remedy for colds and flu.

Myriad topical creams, tonics, lotions, and cosmetics that are sold in other countries have got the chop by our supercharged medicines board.

Others on the hit list have included St John’s Wort, which is widely regarded worldwide, along with 5-HTP and other of other effective remedies.

Soon there will be nothing left for people to buy in our chemists, only a litany of ineffective generic medicines and vitamins that have little or no effect because the active ingredients are so low they have only a minor effect. There are clearly conflicts of interest in banning medicines.

Our medical professional are rich enough and it seems all the Irish Medicine Board wants is for us all is to be spending our lives attending GPs for every little thing imaginable.

Maurice Fitzgerald

Shanbally

Co Cork