Remedy for virus rubbished

A homoeopathic remedy claiming to “help prevent” Covid-19 is being sold by a manufacturer saying he has “essential service” classification from the Ministry of Health.

A microbiologist has rubbished those claims and warned those taking it against a false sense of security.

And it has earned a warning from the Ministry of Health over products claiming to offer people protection from coronavirus.

Hamilton-based manufacturer Endo Health has shipped hundreds of bottles of the product, says company owner Ron Blincoe.

Despite being aged 85, Blincoe said he left the house during lockdown to post the remedies, having been classified as an “essential service” by the Ministry of Health — a classification the ministry said didn’t apply to “natural health services”.

Documentation Endo Health sent to customers with its bottles of “Influenza Complex 2020” was provided to the Herald. It claimed the remedy was “effective against the influenza viruses expected to be prevalent for the coming winter”. Among other viruses, it lists Covid-19.

University of Auckland associate professor and microbiologist Dr Siouxsie Wiles reviewed the documentation: “It clearly says ‘homoeopathic’ so we know it doesn’t have any active ingredient.

“It won’t cause any harm but it won’t protect against colds and flu and certainly not Covid-19.”

Blincoe confirmed the documentation claimed the remedy contained a “strain” of Covid-19.

He said it would be changed to reflect the fact it contained the “frequency” of Covid-19, as determined by a radionic machine, rather than the substance of it.

Blincoe said he expected health authorities to react to the remedy and its claims “badly”.

He said he sold each bottle for $17, plus $5 postage.

A Ministry of Health spokeswoman said there were rules governing alternative products and anyone who stepped outside those faced investigation by Medsafe.