India to begin trials for Ayurvedic drugs to fight COVID-19

The AYUSH Ministry is working to validate four Ayurvedic medicine formulations against COVID-19 along with Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). The trials will begin within a week. These formulations will be tried as an add-on therapy and standard care for COVID-19 patients.

Union Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Y Naik revealed this matter on Twitter. He hoped Ayurveda would show positive results to overcome this pandemic.

CSIR Director-General Shekhar Mande and AYUSH secretary Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha said that result will come within three months once the clinical trials begin.

CSIR Director-General Shekhar Mande said that Ayurveda principles existed long before and it is vital to validate at least some of them. It is the right time to validate Ayurvedic formulations to fight against coronavirus pandemic.

The AYUSH secretary said that four Ayurvedic formulations, Ashwagandha, Yashtimadhu (Mulethi), Guduchi and Pippali (Giloy) are going to be tested against COVID-19.

He added that repurposing of the malarial drug, AYUSH-64 will be done. He added that two stimulus studies are planned on the high-risk population for Ashwagandha. A competitive study has been planned between Hydroxychloroquine and Ashwagandha.

This clinical study will be conducted in various parts of the country with variable design. A task force has been formed to prepare guidelines for a clinical trial.

Many scientists across the country from the medical field from CSIR and other institutions have reviewed it. The advice of ICMR has also been taken in this regard.

They identified the centres and investigators and finalized all things for the clinical trial. AYUSH also approved to start the trial.

Standard drugs have been procured as per the standard size requirements. They are planning to begin the trials in the next week.

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