The Committee of Experts on the Classification of Medicines as Regards their Supply (CD-P-PH/PHO), co-ordinated by the European Directorate for the Quality of Medicines & HealthCare (EDQM), has just published five new evidence-based classification reviews (EBRs) on herbal medicines.
The five new ERBs, drafted in 2025, concern the following herbal substances:
- castor oil (Ricinus oleum);
- St John’s wort (Hypericum herba);
- capsicum (Capsicum);
- ivy leaf (Hedera helix folium);
- agnus castus fruit (Agni casti fructus).
The CD-P-PH/PHO adopted a new format for EBRs following the roll-out of the recently developed assessment approach described in the new guidelines on the classification of active pharmaceutical substances as regards their supply.
The CD-P-PH/PHO issues a recommendation for a non-prescription status or exemptions to a prescription-only status if the benefits clearly outweigh the risks, as demonstrated by in-depth Evidence-Based Classification Reviews (EBR).
The EBRs are published on the CD-P-PH/PHO Programme results web page, maintained by the EDQM. More information is available in the EDQM Newsroom.
SOURCES:
https://www.edqm.eu/en/-/cd-p-ph/pho-publishes-5-new-evidence-based-classification-reviews