Boiron - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Boiron is a manufacturer of homeopathic

Homeopathy

Homeopathy is a form of alternative medicine in which practitioners claim to treat patients using highly diluted preparations that are believed to cause healthy people to exhibit symptoms that are similar to those exhibited by the patient...

products, headquartered in France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

and with an operating presence in 59 countries worldwide. It is the largest manufacturer of homeopathic products in the world. In 2004, it employed a workforce of 2,779 and had a turnover of €

Euro

The euro is the official currency of the eurozone: 17 of the 27 member states of the European Union. It is also the currency used by the Institutions of the European Union. The eurozone consists of Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg,...

313 million. It is currently a member of the CAC Small 90

CAC Small 90

The CAC Small is a stock market index used by the Paris Bourse. It is a small-cap index which represents all main-market French equities not included in the CAC 40, the CAC Next 20 or the CAC Mid 60. Together, these 4 indices make up the CAC All-Tradable...

stock index.

In June 2005, the firm acquired Dolisos Laboratories, then the world's second largest manufacturer of homeopathic preparations.

Products of Boiron include mono- (Hahnemanian) preparations and poly- (which Boiron called "Proprietary drugs").

Several class action lawsuits have been filed on behalf of consumers claiming that Boiron's homeopathic products, including Children's Coldcalm and Oscillococcinum, are useless and Boiron's marketing of these products is deceptive.

Blogzero backlash

Samuele Riva, an Italian blogger, wrote an entry about the implausibility of homeopathy

Homeopathy

including images of Boiron's top-selling product. The company sent a letter to the Internet provider for the blog, but the result was a backlash in favor of freedom of speech.

Criticisms of marketing

The non-profit, educational organizations Center for Inquiry

Center for Inquiry

The Center for Inquiry is a non-profit educational organization with headquarters in the United States whose primary mission is to encourage evidence-based inquiry into paranormal and fringe science claims, alternative medicine and mental health practices, religion, secular ethics, and society...

(CFI) and the associated Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) have petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration

Food and Drug Administration

The Food and Drug Administration is an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, one of the United States federal executive departments...

(FDA), criticizing Boiron for misleading labeling and advertising of Oscillococcinum

Oscillococcinum

Oscillococcinum is a homeopathic alternative medicine marketed to relieve influenza-like symptoms. It is one of the most popular homeopathic preparations, particularly in France. Oscillococcinum is manufactured by a French company, Boiron, its sole manufacturer. There are, however, other...

. "One petition complains that Boiron’s packaging for Oscillococcinum lists the alleged active ingredient - duck liver and heart - in Latin only. Another petition complains that Boiron’s web ad for this product implies that it has received FDA approval." Ronald Lindsay, CFI and CSI president and chief executive officer, contends, "If Boiron is going to sell snake oil

Snake oil

Snake oil is a topical preparation made from the Chinese Water Snake , which is used to treat joint pain. However, the most common usage of the phrase is as a derogatory term for quack medicine...

, the least they can do is use English on their labels.”

A class action lawsuit has been filed against Boiron on behalf of "all California residents who purchased Oscillo at any time within the past four years." The lawsuit charges that Boiron "falsely advertises that Oscillo has the ability to cure the flu because it contains an active ingredient it claims is proven to get rid of flu symptoms in 48 hours." The lawsuit also states that the listed active ingredient in Oscillococcinum (Oscillo) "is actually Muscovy Duck Liver and Heart...and has no known medicinal quality."

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.