DSN guest moderates Congressional briefing

WASHINGTON — The Drug Store News Group editor Rob Eder moderated a special Congressional briefing hosted by the American Association of Homeopathic Pharmacists on Sept. 27 for U.S. House of Representatives staffers.


Eder, who presented on current retail trends in homeopathic remedy sales, Americans’ growing interest in self-care and implications for U.S. health care, also moderated a panel discussion of experts, including AAHP president Mark Land and legal counsel Al Lorman, as well as Wayne Jonas, president and CEO of 
Samueli Institute.


Citing data from SPINS/Nielsen, Eder noted that sales for homeopathic remedies across food, drug and mass (excluding Walmart) and natural supermarkets (excluding Whole Foods) reached more than $173 million, up more than 15% for the 52 weeks ended Aug. 6. 


Land, who also is VP operations and regulatory affairs for homeopathic remedy maker Boiron, talked about the origins of homeopathic medicine in America, and underlying industry economics. Lorman followed with a discussion of the regulatory environment for homeopathic medicines.


Jonas — whose resume includes the National Institutes of Health, the Walter Reed Institute and the White House Commission on Complementary and Alternative Medicine Policy — talked about leading research that has been compiled on the safety and efficacy of homeopathic remedies.