Warning for diabetes patients over false herbal medicine claims

People with diabetes have been warned to ignore advertising for the unlicensed herbal medicine Vedagrin.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said an advertisement for Vedagrin (also known as Vendate) claims that people with diabetes can come off their prescribed medication if they take the herbal food supplement.
The advert uses the words “say goodbye to your diabetes medication forever” to promote Vedagrin as an alternative to prescription anti-diabetic drugs, which according to the MHRA breaks advertising rules.
The agency, which is responsible for regulating all medicines and medical devices in the UK, has instructed the company to stop selling the product.
“People with diabetes should ignore these advertising claims and continue to take their prescribed medicine,” said Richard Woodfield, Head of Herbal Policy at the MHRA.
“While the patient information leaflet for this unlicensed medicine tells people to seek medical advice before stopping their insulin intake, the advertising claims for this product break advertising regulations for medicines.
“If these claims are followed they could have dangerous consequences for people with diabetes.”
He added: “It’s important that people buy herbal medicines that have either a PL (product licence) or THR (Traditional Herbal Registration) number on the bottom of the packaging. This means the medicines have been assessed against quality standards.”
Libby Dowling, Clinical Advisor at charity group Diabetes UK, said: “If anyone has any questions about their medication they should talk to their doctor or a healthcare professional and they will be able to advise on the best course of treatment.”