Trial of 3 homeopathic medicines for COVID to be completed by Feb: Govt.

The Delhi government informed the High Court on Tuesday that trial of three homeopathic medicines for COVID-19, which started in October after obtaining clearance from the Institutional Ethics Committee and Clinical Trial Registration, will be completed by February.

The Delhi government stated that its Directorate of Ayush started the trial using the three homeopathic medicines with a sample size of about 18,000 people.

“The study had commenced in the last week of October, and by now, 3,000 samples have been registered. The study is likely to be completed by January/February 2021,” it said.

The government also stated that it has on its own taken steps to contain the COVID-19 infection by using homeopathic medicines that includes distribution of Arsenicum album 30 as prescribed by the Ministry of Ayush.

During the hearing, the Bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Subramonium Prasad came down heavily on the Central Council for Research in Homeopathy (CCRH) for failing to furnish details on clinical trials it has conducted to prevent and cure COVID-19 infection.

While the CCRH’s counsel stated that eight clinical trials are being conducted, he conceded that details have not been furnished in the affidavit.

The court directed the CCRH to submit a fresh affidavit indicating the dates on which it had commenced steps for developing ‘nosode’ for fighting the virus in collaboration with other scientific organisations and the stage of the trials.

The High Court’s direction came while hearing a plea by two homeopathic doctors, Kerala-based Dr. Ravi M Nair and West Bengal-based Dr. Asok Kumar Das, seeking directions to the Ministry of Ayush and CCRH to allow homeopathic practitioners to treat mild cases of COVID-19 infection by prescribing homeopathic medicines. The plea also sought permission to add homeopathic medicines as a supplement along with allopathic medicines for severe to critical cases, if desired by patients. – The Hindu