The Delhi Medical Association (DMA) on Tuesday condemned Indian Medical Association (IMA)’s statement on Monday that said Union health minister Harsh Vardhan promoted Patanjali’s Coronil tablet, which the company claims is an evidence-based medicine against Covid-19.
The IMA expressed shock over the “blatant lie of WHO certification” for Coronil and demanded an explanation from Vardhan, who was present at the launch of the medicine.
…The contents of the [IMA] press release are baseless, unauthorised, illegal and defamatory for the clean and honest image of Hon’ble Union Minister of Health Dr. Harsh Vardhan. The Union Health Minister attended a programme by Patanjali Research Institute to launch their new drug CORONIL which they claim has a role in prevention and treatment of COVID 19. As per the promoter of the drug, Coronil have received Certificate of Pharmaceutical Product (Copp) from DCGI, Government of India,” said the DMA letter.
Also Read | Unethical to promote Patanjali’s Coronil without checks: IMA
“The Hon’ble Health Minister attended the inaugural programme in his capacity as a union Health Minister and not as a Modern Medicine Practitioner. Moreover Dr. Harsh Vardhan didn’t speak a word about the CORONIL, where is the question of promoting it. He only emphasised time and again that we intend to develop Ayurveda into an evidence based medical system of treatment in Modern India. He further went on to clarify that he is a Modern Medicine Doctor and intends to practice the same system in future as well but want that all systems of medicine should complement each other so as to benefit the whole mankind,” the letter added.
{{/usCountry}}“The Hon’ble Health Minister attended the inaugural programme in his capacity as a union Health Minister and not as a Modern Medicine Practitioner. Moreover Dr. Harsh Vardhan didn’t speak a word about the CORONIL, where is the question of promoting it. He only emphasised time and again that we intend to develop Ayurveda into an evidence based medical system of treatment in Modern India. He further went on to clarify that he is a Modern Medicine Doctor and intends to practice the same system in future as well but want that all systems of medicine should complement each other so as to benefit the whole mankind,” the letter added.
{{/usCountry}}The DMA said the questions being raised by IMA regarding the nature of the trial of Coronil or on false claims of WHO certification are to be answered by the drug Controller or Patanjali Research Institute.