Sir, - Following to the British Medical Journal's report about the benefits of St John's Wort (The Irish Times, September 1st), the Irish Medicines Board should be ashamed for denying Irish patients access to this very effective antidepressant, and should now reconsider its objections.
The authors of the study recommends that doctors should prescribe this herb as a "first choice" treatment for patients suffering from depression, after research revealed it to be more effective and less harmful than conventional drugs. However, since January 1st, because the Irish Medicines Board believes it to be a danger to public health, St John's Wort has been banned in this country as a non-prescription treatment. Furthermore, it will not be made available as a prescription drug because it is not yet classified as a medicine!
In the light of these latest findings, I hope this sorry state of affairs will be ended as soon as possible. - Yours, etc.,
Eamonn McLoughlin, Aldrin Walk, Woodville Park, Artane, Dublin 5.