Marcus Blackmore responds to criticism on Blackmores, Pharmacy and the complementary medicine industry

The vitriol against pharmacy following our recent announcement of a pharmacy-only range of products to be recommended to people taking certain pharmaceutical drugs has been undeserved.

Likewise the inference that complementary medicines are not evidence-based, safe or important to general health is fundamentally incorrect.

There are 10,000 listed complementary medicines in Australia and millions of these are sold every year predominantly in pharmacies where customers can receive well-informed advice.

We have intelligent consumers with an inalienable right to choose how they manage their health. Two in three households in Australia use complementary medicines regularly, a practice that has been happening for decades.

Consumers are well-protected by one of the strictest regulatory systems in the world under which every manufacturer must hold the evidence to support the claims they make.

The Companions range is four products that are backed by scientific evidence and they have been developed in response to specific consumer needs. Any criticism of their potential benefit highlights the need for further healthcare professional education on medicine-related nutrient deficiencies.

There’s no intention for these products to interfere with the doctor’s prescription. The drugs will treat the disease,, the supplements will address the nutrient deficiencies.

I am saddened to see people suggest that either Blackmores or the pharmacy profession would force these products on anyone who didn’t need them or that they would provide no benefit.

I’ve worked alongside the pharmacy profession for more than 50 years and, in my opinion, a pharmacist would only recommend a product to a customer if it were appropriate. No one wants to take any medicine that they don’t have a need for and this is against the philosophical values of Blackmores.

The fact is, pharmacists are extremely well-educated, accessible and highly ethical members of the community and they will use their expertise to determine when a recommendation for a product or further consultation with a health professional is required. The community needs prescription drugs and pharmacies provide a necessary distribution system for medicines. Pharmacy has become a destination for people seeking health advice and that, in my opinion, gives the pharmacist an important role.

Marcus C. Blackmore AM