Ban on online reviews anger

A WOMAN who founded a health remedy company in Wargrave has said rules enforced by a regulatory authority is losing them trade.

Lucy Roberts, 48, runs Active Silver in Wargrave Road, and sells a range of about 20 healthcare and skincare products for people and animals.

She claims that regulations by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) surrounding what they are allowed to publish on their website has hit sales by 25 per cent.

Mrs Roberts, who operates the business out of Sheeplands Farm, said the changes has meant customers can no longer publish reviews about their products on what conditions they are said to treat.

She said: “They are spinning it that we are making medical claims — clearly we aren’t. We just have an alternative solution for people who really struggle with skin and health.

“I’m not saying people should use our products instead of going to the doctor but if they have tried everything, quite often we are the company that they choose to come to for a natural solution.

“They might say they have tried everything on their fungal nail problem or that their daughter’s eczema and nothing has worked but our product has.

“It’s frustrating but people who know our brand know our products are brilliant and they work but we can’t now advertise or promote our products in the way we used to because the authority is saying that the way we portray them is like making a medical claim. The world has gone mad. Even though we don’t make a medical product, we say here is a natural alternative you could try for your acne, for example.

“We’ve had so many life-changing stories from people who have said our products have really helped.

“We’re not saying use us instead of what has been recommended by a doctor. We’re just saying, if you have got troubled skin in any way, you can use this. We have had to strip out all of the really good stuff from our website. We now can’t list medical conditions that our products can help with.

“It’s really upsetting because people who have problem skin, they may not discover it and it may really help.

“With this, alongside the current economic climate at the moment, it has not been easy.”

Mrs Roberts, a former events and communications manager, lives in Mccraes Walk with her husband Nick and three children Will, 13, Barney, 12 and Rosie, eight. She went into business with her father, Dick Goodall, nine years ago

He had worked in the water treatment industry for more than 30 years and in 2016 he discovered that collodial silver kills bacteria, including Legionnaires’ disease, while using it in water purifying for businesses and public bodies.

He later used it as a home remedy and found it was particularly effective on burns and skin conditions.

Mr Goodall has now retired but the products Mrs Roberts produces have helped people with various conditions including acne, eczema, rosacea, a chronic skin condition, and fungal toe nail infections.

She creates them in their own laboratory using electrolysis and now employs six people.

Mrs Roberts said: “We know we’ve got great products but it’s frustrating because we want to be able to tell people about our products but we now can’t reach them.

“We don’t have as many people who can discover the benefits of silver, which is naturally antibacterial, anti fungal and antiviral and it has been used for many purposes  for centuries.

“Where people who would search for natural remedies online we would be one of the top results to come up but now we no longer do.”

Julian Beach, MHRA interim executive director of healthcare quality and access, said the regulations are there for public safety.

He said: “We recognise that businesses may be concerned about how they can promote their products while remaining compliant. Businesses must ensure that all promotional material — including website content and customer reviews — does not make unauthorised medical claims.

“This is part of regulations designed to protect public health and ensure that information about medicines and medical devices is supported by robust evidence.

“If a company is unclear about whether its products or advertising fall within our regulatory remit, we encourage them to contact us for guidance.

“Our advice has been consistent for many years and no new rules about unauthorised medicinal claims made in website content or customer reviews have been introduced.”