How ethical is it to promote the unscientific product to the citizens? IMA to Health Minister on Coronil

The Indian Medical Association on Monday released a press statement regarding the claims made by yoga-guru Ramdev that the Coronil medicine launched by Patanjali Ayurved has DCGI approval and WHO certification. This comes after WHO’s regional office for South-East Asia clarified on Twitter that “@WHO has not reviewed or certified the effectiveness of any traditional medicine for the treatment of #Covid19.” The IMA said,” It is proved beyond doubt to the entire country how false the projections are about the said anti-corona ayurvedic medicine.”

The IMA also posed a series of questions to Union Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan as he was present during the launch of the Coronil Ayurvedic medicine. “Being a Health Minister of the country and a modern medicine doctor, how ethical is it to promote the unscientific product to the citizens of the country?” IMA asked in the press statement. 

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Section 6:1:1 under the Medical Council of India code says that a physician shall not give to any person, whether for compensation or otherwise, any approval, recommendation, endorsement, certificate, report or statement with respect of any drug, medicine, with his name, signature, or photograph in any form or manner of advertising through any mode nor shall he boast of cases, operations, cures or remedies or permit the publication of report thereof through any mode.

The code of ethics also says that the prescribing or dispensing by a physician of secret remedial agents of which he does not know the composition or the manufacture or promotion of their use is unethical and as such prohibited. All the drugs prescribed by a physician should always carry a proprietary formula and clear name. Without disclosing the proprietary formula of the drug the modern medical doctor promoting it is unethical.

Patanjali Ayurved MD Acharya Balkrishna responded to the IMA press release in a tweet saying, “We want to clarify to avoid confusion that our WHO GMP compliant COPP certificate to Coronil is issued by DCGI, 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.”

Patanjali has also defended Health Minister Dr Harsh Vardhan saying he never undermined modern medicine but was present at the launch event to support and provide acceptance to other forms of medicinal systems.