Indian gov't says ayurvedic drug effective in symptomatic, mild COVID-19 cases

NEW DELHI, April 29 (Xinhua) -- India's ministry of AYUSH ( Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) said on Thursday that ayurvedic drug AYUSH 64, a poly herbal formulation developed by the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), has been found to be effective in treatment of mild to moderate cases of COVID-19 infection.

"It is worthwhile to mention that initially the drug was developed for Malaria in the year 1980 and now is repurposed for COVID-19," the ministry said.

Officials said the ministry of Ayush-Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) collaboration has recently completed a robust multi-center clinical trial to evaluate the safety and efficacy of AYUSH 64 in the management of mild to moderate COVID-19 patients.

"It is extensively studied, scientifically developed, safe and effective Ayurveda formulation. This medicine is also recommended in National Clinical Management Protocol based on Ayurveda and Yoga which is vetted by National Task Force on COVID-19 Management of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)," the ministry said.

The trial of AYUSH 64 was conducted at three centers in Lucknow, Wardha and Mumbai, and involved 70 participants in each center.

India is witnessing a resurgence in COVID-19 cases.

The health ministry said Thursday that 379,257 new cases and 3,645 deaths were registered in the past 24 hours, both recording biggest one-day spikes since the pandemic broke out in the country.