Country needs explanation, Dr Vardhan: IMA

Ramdev releases Patanjali’s coronil in the presence of Union Ministers Nitin Gadkari and Dr Harsh Vardhan in New Delhi on Friday. Pic/PTI

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) on Monday demanded an explanation from Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan for promoting Patanjali's coronil tablet.

It expressed shock over the "blatant lie of WHO certification" for the tablet, which Patanjali claims is an evidence-based medicine to fight COVID-19. Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved had on Friday claimed the coronil tablet had received certification from the Ayush Ministry as a medicine supporting COVID-19 treatment as per the World Health Organization's certification scheme.

How ethical?
In a statement issued on Monday, the IMA said, "Being the health minister of the country, how justified is it to release such falsely fabricated unscientific product to citizens, and how ethical is it to promote the product in unethical, wrong and false ways... Can you clarify the timeframe, timeline for the so-called clinical trial of this said anti-corona product? The country needs an explanation from the minister."

"The Indian Medical Association will also write to National Medical Commission for seeking suo moto explanation for his blatant disrespect to the code of conduct of Medical Council of India... Indian Medical Association is shocked to note the blatant lie of WHO certification..."

The announcement of the Ayush certification for Coronil and release of the research paper calling it the "first evidence-based medicine for COVID-19 by Patanjali" was done at an event attended by Vardhan.

In a statement, Patanjali had said: "Coronil has received the Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product (CoPP) from the Ayush section of Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation as per the WHO certification scheme."

However, soon after the launch, WHO South-East Asia tweeted, "@WHO has not reviewed or certified the effectiveness of any traditional medicine for the treatment #COVID19."

Later, Patanjali Ayurved's managing director Acharya Balkrishna tweeted, "We want to clarify to avoid confusion that our WHO GMP compliant COPP certificate to Coronil is issued by DCGI, Government of India..."

1,10,05,850
Total number of cases in the country as of today

1,56,385
Total no. of deaths due to the virus in India

1,06,99,410
Patients recovered and discharged in India as of today

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