Coronil puts IMA & DMA at needless loggerheads
#mixology#enraged#debate#medicalbodies#atcrossroads
MIXOLOGY debate enrages the Allopathic Medical Practitioners whereas the AYUSH Practitioners feel ‘amused’!!
Like the knotty yoga pose of Baba Ramdev, the claims of Patanjali’s Coronil tablets have resulted in the Indian Medical Association (IMA) and the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) locking horns. Caught in between was Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan who could not claim immunity from criticism.
However, there are some lessons learnt in this unsavoury development: 1. The IMA should have kept its animosity towards traditional medicine in check; 2. Its strong statement against Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan was uncalled for and showed a possible personal agenda at work; 3. Patanjali should refrain from making claims without proper proof; 4. Patanjali should also contemplate why it has a poor brand image. 5. Patanjali should present proper evidence based research before the launch of any medicine, claims would not work; 6. With the Ayush Ministry clarifying that Coronil is only a supplement and not a drug to fight Covid, the matter should rest there.
It all started with the re-launch of a secret ‘medicine’ called Coronil which was promoted as a ‘cure’ for Covid-19 infection. Amid fanfare, Baba Ramdev launched Coronil tablets in the presence of Dr. Vardhan and Nitin Gadkari, Minister for Road Transport & Highways and Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
What left the IMA aghast was the claims made by Patanjali. It expressed shock and dismay at what it called was a “blatant lie of WHO certification” for Coronil tablet that can be used to fight Covid-19.
But what the IMA found medically blasphemous was the presence of Dr Vardhan at the event which gave the perception of a tacit approval of the Health Ministry for Coronil. Taking matters further, the IMA demanded an explanation from Dr Vardhan about his presence at the event.
The IMA also called Patanjali’s bluff when the World Health Organisation clarified that “it has not reviewed or certified the effectiveness of any traditional medicine for the treatment of Covid-19”.
“This claim is a blatant deceiving of the people of the country. The Association will write to the National Medical Commission for seeking suo motu explanation for his blatant disrespect to the code of conduct,” the IMA said.
“How appropriate and rational is it to release such false projections in front of the whole country? Being a Health Minister of the country, how justified is it to release such falsely fabricated unscientific product? How ethical is it to promote the product in unethical, wrong and false ways to the whole country? Being a modern medicine doctor, how ethical is it to promote the unscientific product,” the IMA said in a tough statement.
The IMA wondered that if Coronil was effective, why was the government spending ₹35,000 crore for vaccination.
As criticism mounted and became more complex than Baba Ramdev’s yoga poses, Patanjali said: “We want to clarify to avoid confusion that our WHO Good Manufacturing Practices compliant COPP certificate to Coronil is issued by the Drugs Controller General of India, Government of India. It is clear that WHO does not approve or disapprove of any drugs. WHO works for building a better, healthier future for people all over the world.”
The IMA’s criticism was a bit misplaced. The AYUSH Ministry had clearly said that Coronil is being sold only as an immunity-booster and not as a cure. So are so many other immunity boosters to help combat Covid. The IMA’s tough words smacked of a vendetta against Dr Vardhan. The IMA’s bias against Ayurveda is well known, but dragging the Health Minister into what can be described as a storm in a teacup was uncalled for.
Ultimately, it was the DMA that came to the rescue of Dr Vardhan which took a serious exception to the critical statement issued by the IMA.
The DMA too issued a statement saying that the press release of the Indian Medical Association “are baseless, unauthorised, illegal and defamatory for the clean and honest image of Union Minister of Health Dr Harsh Vardhan.”
The DMA reminded the IMA that the minister attended the inaugural programme in “his capacity as a union health minister and not as a modern medicine practitioner.”
The Uttarakhand health department too jumped into the fray and said “The drug by Patanjali is allowed for use as a supporting measure, like Vitamin C or multivitamin and mineral tablets, not as the cure for Covid-19.”
Later the Ayush Ministry said Patanjali’s good manufacturing practices (GMP) certificate does not vouch for the efficacy of the drug for any disease condition. The clarification came after the World Health Organization (WHO) said in a tweet that it had not reviewed or certified any traditional medicine to treat or prevent Covid-19.
“Patanjali has only a GMP certificate from the apex drug regulator, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI), and a manufacturing licence from the Uttarakhand state government as a prophylactic drug,” a senior Ayush ministry official was quoted in the media.
Patanjali had introduced Coronil on June 23 last year, when the pandemic was at its peak. At that time too It had to face severe criticism as it lacked scientific evidence regarding its efficacy. Why Coronil was relaunched is not clear.
