Ayush Ministry pushing failed Malaria drug Ayush-64 as immune booster

Ministry had announced, in May this year, that Sewa Bharti will join hands with the Govt to distribute Ayush-64

An Ayurveda drug propogated by the Union Government’s Ayush Ministry as an immunity booster has fallen flat owing to its wrong claims. Ayush-64, the drug touted as a treatment for Covid-19 for its immune boosting properties hs proved itself to be poor.

Ayush-64 was released 40 years ago as a cure for Malaria.  A phase II prospective comparative randomized clinical trial revealed that the efficacy of Ayush-64 was very poor and cured less than half the patients who participated in the trial. In the same trial, 95% of Chloroquine administered patients were cured.

The same Ayush -64 is being re-released now as an antiviral drug, which based its results on just one study. The study is so shoddy that even the Ayurveda practitioners have found faults with it. Digging deeper, more disturbing details emerge.

According to Meera Nanda, a historian of science who delivered a speech at the ‘Dismantling Global Hindutva’ conference, held online between September 12th and 14th, 2021, the Ayush Ministry had announced in May 2021 that Sewa Bharti, an RSS affiliate will join hands with the government to distribute Ayush-64 and a Siddha drug, Kabasura Kudineer. The medicines were distributed by Sewa Bharti in BJP-ruled states. Similarly, BJP ruled states like Haryana paid millions of tax payers’ money to buy and distribute Baba Ramdev’s  Coronil.

Meera Nanda asked if the Ayush Ministry was so confident of Ayush-64, why Ayush Minister Shripad Naik, who tested positive for Covid-19 preferred plasma treatment and not Ayush-64.

So the fact is, large and five-star facility hospitals are for the rich and the powerful, while the poor must be contented with medicines doled out by the Ayush Ministry.