Uddhav govt warns Ramdev over Patanjali's Coronil; won't allow sale till clinically proven

Amid the ongoing controversy over Yoga guru Baba Ramdev's company Patanjali Ayurved introducing a self-touted "cure" for coronavirus infection, the Maharashtra government has said that it will not allow the sale of "spurious medicines" in the state unless the National Institute of Medical Sciences, Jaipur finds out whether clinical trials of 'Coronil' were done at all. 

Maharashtra Home Minister on his Twitter on Wednesday fired, "An abundant warning to Baba Ramdev that Maharashtra won't allow the sale of spurious medicines."

U'khand dept to serve notice to Patanjali 

Meanwhile, the Uttarakhand government is serving a notice to Patanjali Ayurved for launching a drug claiming to be a cure for COVID-19 when it had only applied for a licence to manufacture an immunity booster against cough and fever, an official said on Wednesday.

The revelation from the state comes even as the AYUSH ministry at the Centre prepares to examine the herbal products company's documents on research and the composition of the drug developed by it. Union Minister Shripad Naik said Patanjali coming with the medicine was a "good initiative" but due process has to be followed.

Hours after the launch of Coronil on Tuesday, the Union AYUSH Ministry had asked the firm to provide the details, telling it to stop advertising it till the issue is examined.

'Such an initiative is definitely good'

Naik said Patanjali Ayurved has submitted the documents. "The reports which were sent to the ministry on Tuesday will be examined," he said. "At a time when everybody is grappling for a cure for COVID-19, such an initiative is definitely good but then the due process has to be followed," the minister said.

READ | Ramdev's Patanjali launches Rs 545 'Corona kit' including Coronil tablets; Contents here

Uttarakhand's Ayurved department's licence officer Y S Rawat said the notice is being issued to the firm to explain from where it got the permission to launch a "corona kit" as a cure for the virus. "Patanjali Ayurved Ltd had the licence only for manufacturing an immunity booster against cough and fever. There was nothing in their application related to the treatment of coronavirus," the official said.

READ | Baba Ramdev's Patanjali didn't mention Covid when it sought Coronil licence: Ayurved dept

At the Coronil launch, the company had claimed that its medicine can cure the contagious disease within seven days. It said Coronil, taken along with another product developed by it, had shown a 100% success rate in clinical trials on infected patients, except those on life support.

READ | 'Given info to AYUSH Ministry': Patanjali CEO after notice over COVID breakthrough claim

Ramdev said the medicines were developed by Patanjali Research Center, Haridwar in association with privately-owned National Institute of Medical Science, Jaipur.

READ | AYUSH Ministry distances itself from Patanjali's anti-COVID kit, asks company for details

(With PTI inputs)