FDA’s Stricter Labeling Rules for Pain Relievers Means Consumers Are Looking to Boiron Arnicare® as a Safer Option

Newtown Square, Pa. -- April 29, 2009 - Many over-the-counter pain relievers will be required to carry stiffer warnings as the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) implements its new labeling rules. The final ruling, made Tuesday, calls for stronger labeling on the dangers of liver damage and stomach bleeding for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen and ketoprofen.

Consumers who are concerned with NSAIDs and their potential side effects are turning to Boiron Arnicare as a safer choice for pain relief. Boiron, world leader in homeopathy, offers Arnicare as an affordable option for relief of muscle aches and stiffness due to minor injuries, overexertion and falls, and reduces pain, swelling and discoloration from bruises without side effects or drug interactions. The Arnicare line of pain relievers includes oral pellets and odorless topical ointment, gel and cream formulas, as well as quick-dissolving tablets for arthritis pain.

The main active ingredient in Arnicare is homeopathic Arnica montana, a mountain which is a perennial plant commonly found in the Northwestern part of the U.S. and in Central Europe. Arnica has been used for centuries as a natural pain reliever. Today doctors and pharmacists recommend ARnica in the safe form of a homeopathic medicine in more than 25 countries throughout the world.

Christophe Merville, D. Pharm., pharmacist and director of education and pharmacy development at Boiron USA, says NSAIDs are a valuable part of a pain relief treatment, but they carry some risks. Improved warning labels will better enable consumers to make informed decisions regardign NSAID pain relief medicines and it may also encourage them to try homeopathy as a more natural solution to treating pain without side effects and other safety risks, according to Dr. Merville.

"In light of the FDA ruling on NSAIDs, consumers are looking for a safer, more natural medicine that can ease their pain," Dr. Merville said. "They are finding Boiron Arnicare is one of the best choices of treatment for both themselves and their families. Arnicare will aid in a quick recovery from muscle aches, pain, swelling and bruising, no matter what the activity. Taken at the onset of pain, jsut when a flare of arthritic pain occurs, after a trauma or overexertion, or even when pain is caused by a change of weather, Arnicare helps decrease the pain and very often delays or avoids the need for pain killers."

Dr. Merville adds that with all pain relief medicines, consumers have to review the drug facts carefully on the packaging. He further recommends being cautious about taking pain medicine too frequently or applying it too extensively on areas of the body.

"If you seek relief of general aches or pains throughout your body, then I recommend taking Arnica in pellet form for a systemic effect," he says, adding that for more localized pain, applying a thin layer of Boiron Arnicare Gel or Cream on the affected area three times a day is sufficient to provide "adequate relief."

Regulated as a drug by the FDA,1 Arnicare is manufactured according to the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia of the United States and drug Good Manufacturing Practices. To locate the nearest store that carries the Arnicare line, please visit our Store Finder.

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1 U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Sec. 400.400 Conditions Under Which Homeopathic Drugs May be Marketed (CPG7132.15). Available at www.fda.gov/ora/compliance_ref/cpg/cpgdrg/cpg400-400.html.