Patanjali’s claim of Covid-19 cure is unconvincing

Baba Ramdev’s claim that Patanjali has found a cure for Covid-19 has evoked not just scepticism but alarm because it can pose a danger to the lives and health of people. Ramdev has claimed that Patanjali’s two drug formulations, Coronil and Swasari, will offer "100% cure’’ and that they have been developed on the basis of research and after clinical trials. The claim is most unconvincing because there is no evidence of long, widely held and rigorous trials which are essential for any drug. There are reports about some trials involving a hundred or so patients in Jaipur but this is grossly inadequate, actually nothing. There is no objective record of the trials, the processes and methodologies are unknown and no peer review has taken place. Whatever has been presented as data has been questioned by experts. There have also been inconsistencies and contradictions in the claims.

The Ministry of AYUSH has put the sale of the drug on hold and told Patanjali to stop advertising it. It has said that the organisation has been told to furnish all details about the drug to it for evaluation. This is the minimum the government had to do, but there seems to be some hesitation on its part in dealing with the claim. The Uttarakhand government has said that Patanjali had sought and secured a licence to manufacture an immunity booster, but there was no reference to Covid-19 in the application. It is suspected that this is being marketed as a cure for Covid. Patanjali’s record of claims has not been inspiring in the past and so the present claim also cannot be taken seriously without strong supporting verifiable evidence, which has so far been missing.

Patanjali has a reputation and high brand value. It has a large number of products which are being used by people. Many people might accept a claim made by it as genuine and use the drug. This will be dangerous. Covid-19 is a disease about which very little is known, and the use of a medicine of unverified quality and unknown consequences is wrong and risky. Drugs are developed after long periods of research, trials and peer reviews of the processes. The development of a drug or vaccine for Covid-19 is expected to take up to 18 months, though there are reports of trials having been started. In the light of this, Patanjali’s claim seems to be highly unreliable. There are penal provisions in the law to deal with wrong and misleading medical claims. The government should invoke them to curb fake claims and quackery.