admin, Author at Release The First Report

Buried First Report found ‘encouraging’ evidence homeopathy is effective for five clinical conditions

Oct 9, 2019

Thanks largely to public support for the Release the First Report campaign, Australia’s leading research institute, NHMRC, recently gave in to public pressure and released its first report on homeopathy, produced in 2012 but buried until 26 August 2019.

As we always expected, the draft 2012 report is far more positive than the second NHMRC Australian Report published in 2015, which has caused widespread damage to homeopathy.

The First Report found “encouraging evidence for the effectiveness of homeopathy” for five conditions, including otitis media (ear infections), upper respiratory tract infection in adults, and some side effects of cancer treatment.

As Rachel Roberts, HRI Chief Executive, explains, “The first report found some good evidence that homeopathy works for certain medical conditions. More studies are needed to confirm and build on these findings, but some evidence is very different from no evidence.”

NHMRC fought against releasing the First Report for 4 years, so this is a huge win for public accountability, but perhaps even more importantly, the NHMRC CEO has finally put the record straight about the second ‘Australian report’ published in 2015.

Publication of NHMRC’s 2015 report triggered inaccurate headlines around the world – from the UK: “Homeopathy not effective for treating any condition” (Guardian) to the USA: “1800 studies later scientists conclude homeopathy doesn’t work” (Smithsonian.com).

NHMRC Chief Executive Prof Anne Kelso’s has now finally admitted that, “Contrary to some claims, the review did not conclude that homeopathy was ineffective” (CEO Statement, 26 August 2019).

It is shocking that NHMRC has never corrected this misinterpretation of their report before. When these widely inaccurate headlines first circulated in March 2015 NHMRC stayed silent.

When the story hit the media again in February 2016 they said and did nothing.

Even when the NHMRC 2015 report started to have a real-world impact being used to make decisions against homeopathy in countries all around the world, they failed to step in and clarify what their report had really found – that even when the amount of evidence was drastically reduced by using their totally unjustifiable method created just for this review – the results showed the evidence for most conditions was inconclusive, not negative.

Global impact of the flawed Australian Report on Homeopathy (Credit: HRI)

The CEO finally making it clear that their report never said homeopathy doesn’t work is a crucial and welcome first step towards NHMRC undoing the damage they have single-handedly caused to the homeopathy sector worldwide.

Find out more about the buried First Report here.

Public pressure forces NHMRC to publish buried first report on homeopathy

Aug 27, 2019

NHMRC has finally released their first report on homeopathy, following an overwhelming response to the Release The First Report campaign which saw more than 75,000 people from around the world demand its publication.

As expected, the conclusions of NHMRC’s 2012 report – The Effectiveness of Homeopathy: an overview review of secondary evidence – are in stark contrast to their 2015 attempt, with the first review concluding that there is “encouraging evidence” homeopathy works for five medical conditions.

“For over three years NHMRC have refused to release their 2012 draft report on homeopathy, despite Freedom of Information requests and even requests by members of the Australian Senate. To see this document finally seeing the light of day is a major win for transparency and public accountability in research.”
Rachel Roberts, HRI Chief Executive

NHMRC CEO, Professor Anne Kelso, explained her decision to release the report by acknowledging the “considerable interest” in this hidden document.

NHMRC’s sudden decision to release the report, despite stating to the Australian Senate only a month ago that they had no plans to release it, comes at a time when the verdict of an Ombudsman investigation into NHMRC’s Homeopathy Review is pending.

Further analysis of the 293-page first report to follow.

Ombudsman Investigation: AHA Rebukes Pharmaceutical Society of Australia over Homeopathy Letter

Jan 25, 2019

The Australian Homoeopathic Association has criticised the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) over an open letter to all pharmacies in Australia, instructing them to “cease all activities that encourage the stocking, promotion, recommendation or marketing of homeopathy”.

The PSA letter cites the NHMRC’s flawed second report on Homeopathy. As the AHA indicate in their response, the timing of this action from the PSA is suspect, with an Ombudsman investigation on NHMRC’s alleged scientific misconduct, procedural breaches, bias and conflict of interest rapidly approaching its conclusion.

See AHA’s press release in full.

CCRH Director General writes directly to NHMRC CEO over misleading Homeopathy review

Dec 4, 2018

The Director General of the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy, an Indian Government research institute, has written directly to Professor Anne Kelso, CEO of NHMRC, over the Australian research institute’s misleading review of Homeopathy.

In his letter, Dr Raj Manchanda lauds the benefits of the ‘cafeteria-style’ integrative healthcare model reaped by the Indian populace, of which homeopathy is a major part. He also expressed concern ‘that Australia’s current approach to reforms on Homoeopathy appears to be contrary to the WHO Traditional Medicines Strategy 2014-2023, leading towards reduced patient access, rather than promoting its use.’

The full letter can be read here and Dr Manchanda explains why the CCRH are supporting the #ReleaseTheFirstReport campaign below.

Homeopathy Course suspended on basis of European document citing SECOND Australian Report

Sep 10, 2018

The Faculty of Medicine, Lille University, France has suspended its Homeopathy course on the basis of a European document quoting the SECOND Australian Report.

La Faculté de Médecine de Lille décide de suspendre son Diplôme d’Université d’homéopathie pour l’année universitaire débutante dans l’attente de la position de la H.A.S. et d’échanges nationaux sur l’encadrement de cette pratique et de son enseignement.

— medecine_Ulille (@medecine_Ulille) August 31, 2018

The Diploma course in Homeopathy has been suspended for the 2018/19 academic year while the Faculty awaits the official position of the French health authority on the subject of homeopathy and its teaching.

The French Haute Autorité de Santé is set to make its position clear by February 2019.

Homeopathy is hugely popular in France, with remedies readily available in high-street pharmacies and patients able to claim reimbursement from the social security system for homeopathic treatment. A 2015 study showed that nearly 7 million people receive at least one reimbursement for a homeopathic preparation during a 12-month period.

Time to Act

With yet another government-level decision being influenced by NHMRC’s SECOND report on Homeopathy, the urgency grows for NHMRC to make their FIRST report public.

The debate about homeopathy in France escalated earlier this year, when a group of 124 healthcare practitioners – calling themselves “FakeMed” – signed an open letter published in newspaper Le Figaro, describing homeopaths as “charlatans”, and Homeopathy itself as “dangerous”, “irrational” and “in no way scientific”.

In reaching this conclusion, the group cited the 2017 statement by the European Academies’ Scientific Advisory Council (EASAC), who themselves conducted no new research but cited the NHMRC Australian Report on Homeopathy – under investigation by the Commonwealth Ombudsman for scientific fraud – and the long since discredited 2010 UK Science & Technology Committee report.

Using this to support their position shows a clear lack of understanding of both the evidence base for homeopathy, and the severe flaws in their own arguments.

We know from Freedom of Information documents that NHMRC did their review of evidence on Homeopathy twice. This makes their SECOND report and it’s conclusions that “there is no reliable evidence that Homeopathy is effective for any condition” invalid.

Sign the petition to join thousands of people around the world in demanding that NHMRC #ReleaseTheFirstReport.