Corona kit: Patanjali didn't have permission to launch drug to cure coronavirus, says Uttarakhand official

DEHRADUN: The Uttarakhand government is issuing a notice to yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali for launching a drug claiming to be a cure for coronavirus when it had only applied for an immunity booster against cough and fever, an official said on Wednesday.
State Ayurved department's licence officer Y S Rawat said the notice is being issued to the firm to explain from where it got the permission to launch a "corona kit" as a cure from the virus.
"Patanjali Ayurveda Ltd had the licence only for manufacturing an immunity booster against cough and fever. There was nothing in their application related to the treatment of coronavirus," the officer said.
"We did receive an application from Patanjali on June 10. The application was approved after examination by a panel on June 12 but the firm had the permission to manufacture only two-three drugs as immunity booster against cough and fever, and not a drug for coronavirus," he added.
The company had recently launched an ayurvedic medicine, named Coronil, claiming that it cures coronavirus.
The notice will be sent to the firm under Rule 170 of the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, 1940, which makes it mandatory for companies to advertise any product in print and electronic media only with the permission from the state licensing authority, Rawat said.
It was also not legal to claim that the product was a cure for coronavirus without prior permission of the department, the official said.