Boiron () is a manufacturer of

homeopathic Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a dise ...

products, headquartered in 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

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

313 million. It is currently a member of the

CAC Small The CAC Small (formerly the CAC Small 90) 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 i ...

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 refer to as "Proprietary drugs". Homeopathy is a

pseudoscience Pseudoscience consists of statements, beliefs, or practices that claim to be both scientific and factual but are incompatible with the scientific method. Pseudoscience is often characterized by contradictory, exaggerated or unfalsifiable claim ...

with no evidence of effectiveness for stated claims or plausible mechanism of medicinal effect, and several class action lawsuits have been filed on behalf of consumers claiming that Boiron's homeopathic products, including Children's Coldcalm and

Oscillococcinum Oscillococcinum (or Oscillo) is a homeopathic preparation marketed to relieve flu-like symptoms, although it does not provide any benefit beyond that of a placebo. Oscillococcinum is promoted according to the disproven homeopathic principle th ...

, are useless and Boiron's marketing of these products is deceptive.

Controversies

Samuele Riva

Samuele Riva, an Italian blogger, wrote an article about the implausibility of

homeopathy Homeopathy or homoeopathy is a pseudoscientific system of alternative medicine. It was conceived in 1796 by the German physician Samuel Hahnemann. Its practitioners, called homeopaths, believe that a substance that causes symptoms of a d ...

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

Lawsuits

The non-profit educational organizations

Center for Inquiry The Center for Inquiry (CFI) is a US nonprofit organization that works to mitigate belief in pseudoscience and the paranormal, as well as to fight the influence of religion in government. History The Center for Inquiry was established in 19 ...

(CFI) and the associated

Committee for Skeptical Inquiry The Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI), formerly known as the Committee for the Scientific Investigation of Claims of the Paranormal (CSICOP), is a program within the US non-profit organization Center for Inquiry (CFI), which seeks to "pro ...

(CSI) have petitioned the U.S.

Food and Drug Administration The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

(FDA), criticizing Boiron for misleading labeling and advertising of Oscillococcinum. "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 is a term used to describe deceptive marketing, health care fraud, or a scam. Similarly, "snake oil salesman" is a common expression used to describe someone who sells, promotes, or is a general proponent of some valueless or fraudu ...

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

class action A class action, also known as a class-action lawsuit, class suit, or representative action, is a type of lawsuit where one of the parties is a group of people who are represented collectively by a member or members of that group. The class actio ...

against Boiron, filed in 2011 on behalf of "all California residents who purchased Oscillo at any time within the past four years", charged 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 stated that the listed active ingredient in Oscillococcinum (Oscillo) "is actually Muscovy Duck Liver and Heart ... and has no known medicinal quality." A settlement was reached, with Boiron denying any wrongdoing. As part of the settlement, Boiron agreed to make specific changes to its marketing, including adding to their packaging notices like "These ‘Uses’ have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration" and "C, K, CK, and X are homeopathic dilutions." While the sector is in crisis following the cessation of reimbursement of homeopathic preparations by social security decided by the Minister of Health Agnès Buzyn, the Boiron group announced that its factory at Montrichard, in Loir-et-Cher had failed to find a buyer. Consequently, the site, which employed approximately 80 people, closed on December 31, 2021.

References

External links

Official Boiron website

Official Boiron US websiteOfficial Boiron India website
{{Homeopathy Homeopathic organizations Healthcare companies of France French brands Rhône (department) Companies based in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Companies listed on Euronext Paris