VANCOUVER — Health Canada says a homeopathic remedy made with the saliva of rabid dogs will no longer be available in the country.
An investigation was launched after concerns were raised over a Victoria naturopath who treated a four-year-old boy with lyssin, which British Columbia's health officer said could put patients at risk of contracting rabies.
Health Canada says in a statement that lyssin, distributed by Helious Homeopathy in the United Kingdom, is not authorized for sale in the country and the individual involved has agreed to stop selling the product.
Practitioner Anke Zimmermann detailed her use of lyssin in a blog post earlier this month as a success for the treatment of a boy's sleep and behavioural problems.
Zimmermann had likened the remedy to anti-venom, which may use a small dose of venom to treat a snake bite, and the B.C. Association of Homeopaths defended the use of the product in a letter to the provincial health officer.
But Health Canada says more steps will be taken if regulations are violated, and the College of Naturopathic Physicians of British Columbia has also been informed of the agency's direction.
