AYUSH Ministry Calls For Research Into COVID-19 Treatment

Coronavirus: Researchers have to maintain AYUSH or ICMR guidelines, the government has said.

The government's search for a way to tackle the highly infectious COVID-19 went into the field of alternative medicine today as the Ministry of AYUSH asked practitioners of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, Sowa Rigpa and Naturopathy to look for a cure for the global pandemic. Nearly 20,000 people have contracted coronavirus in the country, of whom 640 people died and more than 3,800 people recovered.

So far, there is no cure for COVID-19. But over the last few days, officials said the AYUSH Ministry has received more than 2,000 proposals claiming possible treatments.

The notification from the ministry came after Prime Minister Narendra Modi urged AYUSH practitioners to take part in the battle against coronavirus. On March 28, PM Modi, while interacting with AYUSH practitioners through a video conference, suggested that they utilise their resources to manufacture essential items such as sanitisers.

In its notification, the ministry – whose advisory on Preventive Management Steps" for coronavirus triggered instant criticism on social media – has asked practitioners of alternative medicine to suggest "prophylactic measure" and "intervention during the quarantine".

Under the Drugs and Cosmetics Rules of 1945, there is no regulatory provision for clinical trials in alternative medicine. Pointing it out, the ministry said "it is felt necessary to make efforts for development of drugs based on any AYUSH systems recognised under Drugs Cosmetics Act 1940".

The clinical trials should also be registered with the CTRI, the Clinical Trials Registry of India, the government said.

"The clinical research should also be conducted as per AYUSH guidelines for clinical research or ICMR guidelines," the notification read, referring to the Indian Council of Medical Research, the country's nodal body in the fight against the virus.

The notification also said those undertaking such research will have to get their proposals approved by their scientific advisory bodies and Institutional Ethics Committee.

Guidelines also have been drawn regarding the sample size.

"We have received many proposals over phone, emails and even in social media in last two weeks," an official of the ministry said.

The efficacy of ayurvedic medicines on coronavirus is yet to be determined as the virus is new. But a section of the population have used ayurvedic medications for other strains of flu.

The government has been promoting the use of ayurveda-based immunity boosting procedures.

But its advise to take the homoeopathic medicine Arsenicum album 30 as preventive medicine, was criticized on socal media.

The ministry later issued a statement, saying its advisory was based on the "principles of approach in respective medical systems" to viral diseases that affect the respiratory system.

"These advisories neither claimed effective treatment for Corona virus nor suggested any specific drug to combat corona virus," the ministry said in a statement.