Hours after yoga guru Ramdev came out with a “medicine” for Covid-19, the Centre has asked his Patanjali Ayurved Ltd to stop advertising or publicizing its claims till the issue is “duly examined”.
Taking cognizance of media reports, the Ayush Ministry said that “facts of the claim and details of the stated scientific study are not known to the Ministry”.
It also said that the government has informed the company that such advertisements of drugs including ayurvedic medicines are regulated under the provisions of Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954 and Rules thereunder and the directives issued by the Central Government in the wake of COVID outbreak.
On Tuesday, Ramdev launched Patanjali’s Coronil tablet, which he claims is a cure for Covid-19. Patanjali claims those administered the medicine were fully cured and none died. Ramdev even said that 69 percent of them recovered within 3 days.
The Ayush Ministry also reminded Patanjali of a gazette notification, issued on April 21, asserting what are the requirements and manner of research studies on Covid-19.
A Ministry statement said: “In order to make this Ministry aware of the facts of the aforesaid news and verify the claims, Patanjali Ayurved Ltd has been asked to provide at the earliest details of the name and composition of the medicines being claimed for COVID treatment; site(s)/hospital(s), where the research study was conducted for Covid-19; protocol, sample size, Institutional Ethics Committee clearance, CTRI registration and results in data of the study (ies) and stop advertising/publicizing such claims till the issue is duly examined.”
Earlier, Balkrishna, Ramdev’s close aide, and MD of Patanjali Ayurved said: “We appointed a team of scientists after COVID-19 outbreak” and that Patanjali conducted a clinical case study on hundreds of positive patients.
Meanwhile, the Ministry has also asked the Uttarakhand government’s licensing authority to provide copies of license and product approval details of the ayurvedic medicines which the yoga guru claimed, treats Covid-19, a global pandemic that has the world worried.
