Commission E monographies

Authors: Prof. Dr. med. Peter Altmeyer, Prof. Dr. med. Martina Bacharach-Buhles

Last updated on: 03.12.2024

Definition
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Commission E is an independent scientific expert commission for herbal medicinal products. This commission is based at the Federal Institute for Drugs and Medical Devices(BfArM). Commission E had an interdisciplinary composition and consisted of doctors, pharmacists, pharmacologists, toxicologists, biostatisticians and also patient representatives. The members were proposed every three years by associations in the field and appointed by the Federal Ministry of Health. A pioneering task of Commission E was the preparation of monographs on the efficacy and safety of herbal medicinal drugs. After 1994, these tasks were taken over by the ESCOP .

Note(s)
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Until 1994, the task of Commission E was to compile scientific and experiential material on desirable and undesirable effects of herbal medicinal drugs.Commission E published about 380 monographs for herbal medicinal drugs and their preparations as well as fixed combinations. 252 texts were "positive monographs" for which the above information could be compiled. 129 reviews were published as "negative monographs". This means that the experts assessed the benefit/risk ratio as unfavourable, found insufficient evidence/experience of efficacy, identified risks that were too far-reaching, or were unable to identify usable dosage information. In the discussion, the term "null monograph" has come to refer to cases in which no risks were identified but there was also insufficient evidence to recognize efficacy.

As these texts have not been revised since 1994, they have now lost their relevance and importance. At European level, the task of Commission E is now performed by ESCOP.