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Article: Flu symptoms? Try duck: why sales of homeopathic products are soaring today. (includes related article on use of zinc lozenges to treat cold symptoms)
- Article from:
- U.S. News & World Report
- Article date:
- February 17, 1997
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1997 All rights reserved. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Somewhere near Lyon, France, sometime this year, officials from the French pharmaceutical firm Boiron will slaughter a solitary duck and extract its heart and liver--not to appease the gods but to fight the flu. The organs will be used to make an over-the-counter flu medicine, called Oscillococcinum, that will be sold around the world. In a monetary sense, this single French duck may be the most valuable animal on the planet, as an extract of its heart and liver form the sole "active ingredient" in a flu remedy that is expected to generate sales of $20 million or more. (For duck parts, that easily beats out foie gras in terms of return on investment.)
How can Boiron ...