Homeopathic drugs 'ineffective'

(ANSA) - Rome, March 12 - Homeopathic drugs are not effective against any illness, according to a document drafted by Australia's top research institute, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC).
    The institute announced on Wednesday that it has completed an exhaustive review of research available on homeopathic drugs - a total of 225 published clinical trials and 57 reviews, evaluating the quality of each study.
    Even in the few cases in which research showed that homeopathic drugs were effective, problems and mistakes in planning the tests were found, according to the NHMRC, which added that the trials were carried out on an insufficient number of patients to begin with.
    An independent panel that examined the research came to the same conclusion.
    The results showed that there was "no reliable evidence in humans that homeopathy was effective for treating the range of health conditions considered".
    It added that "people who choose homeopathy may put their health at risk if they reject or delay treatments for which there is good evidence for effectiveness and safety".
    Homeopathy is an alternative medicine system developed in Germany in the 19th century based on the concept that, as explained by the report, "substances that may cause illness or symptoms in a healthy person can, in very small doses, treat those symptoms in a person who is unwell".