WRITTEN QUESTION E-1186/00 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission. Scarcity of melatonin on the market.
C 53 E/94 Official Journal of the European Communities EN 20. 2. 2001 (2001/C 53 E/124) WRITTEN QUESTION E-1186/00 by Cristiana Muscardini (UEN) to the Commission (12 April 2000) Subject: Scarcity of melatonin on the market There have been numerous reports ü in press articles and readersí letters ü of the difficulty of finding pure melatonin in European Union countries, and there is even talk of a possible sales boycott. Can the Commission state: ü whether it has prohibited the sale of this substance, or published any information concerning its adverse effects on human health? ü what are its views on the subject? ü can the Commission state, finally, whether it is possible that the current situation was created by commercial interests as a means of pushing up prices? Answer given by Mr Liikanen on behalf of the Commission (16 May 2000) The Commission has not made any general pronouncement on melatonin. Like the Member States, however, it considers that, given its function and presentation, this substance meets the definition of a medicinal product and may not therefore be marketed without authorisation. As melatonin was in fact being placed on the market without authorisation, most of the Member States wanted to draw consumersí attention to the risk of using a product which had not been evaluated. Accordingly, they took measures which have in some cases resulted in the substance being withdrawn from the national market, and in others in appropriate information being given out. (2001/C 53 E/125) WRITTEN QUESTION P-1188/00 by Giuseppe Nisticò (PPE-DE) to the Commission (10 April 2000) Subject: Medicinal herbs and plants Because of the widespread distribution and abuse of medicinal herbs, without proper controls over either the marketing or prescribing of these products, this highly sensitive sector needs to be regulated as a matter of urgency, bearing in mind the possible effects on human health. International scientific literature on the subject has revealed, as widely reported in the media recently in both the United States and Europe, that some of these medicinal herbs, when used without medical supervision, are responsible for thousands of cases of fatal poisoning, as well as causing a series of unwanted or toxic side-effects in the form of allergies or affecting the cardiovascular system, the kidneys, the central nervous system and other systems or organs. Unfortunately, as a result of subtle and deceitful propaganda by the industries and operators concerned, the belief has taken root that herbs, being natural products, are useful and harmless and produce no toxic effects