Thread by @GorwayGlobal

A twitter thread
Subject: India turns to blind faith and voodoo medicines.
Reports have recently emerged of a "MiracleCure" Ayurvedic medicine from #Nellore district in Andhra Pradesh. The Ayurvedic doctor is apparently giving it away free to all comers.

And desperate people are flocking in the thousands. NDTV reported the story here:

https://twitter.com/ndtvvideos/status/1396028942469931008?s=20

And @CNNnews18 headline carried the oxymoron term "Ayurvedic quack" for the fellow distributing his herbal concoction miracle cure.

https://twitter.com/CNNnews18/status/1395950041634836486?s=20

Now quack remedies have abounded in every part of the world ever since the #Coronavirus #pandemic became part of our life in early 2020. Trump-level idiocy is widespread. He put his faith in #Hydroxychloroquine and India served it up to him. Big Pharma companies too made hay

While the #Coronvirus sun shone brightly, with antivirals that didn't work and monoclonal antibodies that bankrupted patients without saving lives. India's Health Minister actually helped a certain Billionaire Godman and guru launch one such quack miracle. science.thewire.in/the-sciences/h…

So why should this story of the #Nellore miracle cure
a) attract a crackdown by the authorities? and
b) why am I on a rant about the actions taken?

Well, the authorities are right to crack down because the rush to get this concoction of leaves roots and twigs is becoming a #Superspreader event. Just because the Govt of India was foolish enough to bring forward #SuperSpreader #KumbhMela2021 by a year is no reason not to act.

But the other cause for concern is that the Govt of Andhra did not just disperse the crowd and arrest the quack. Note that the Govt has taken this cocktail sufficiently seriously to ask @ICMRDELHI to investigate the medicine.

Even India's Vice-President has got involved He's asked @moayush Minister @KirenRijiju and ICMR's Dr Bhargava to investigate the concoction. This is simply wrong.
Why so? Because it violates the fundamental principle of how new treatments are brought to market.

The onus of setting up and conducting the trial and establishing that a new Drug X works (by some definition) and that it is safe enough, falls on the person or firm that proposes it. It is their responsibility. And until they can do that, Drug X must NOT be allowed.

The consequences of departing from this principle are huge and damaging to patient safety and welfare. Anyone can develop a powder, pill, or potion, make grand claims about its efficacy, and start selling it. If the Authorities object he can say, "Okay then YOU test it"

Potentially, every quack in the land with enough of a cult following can start selling his favourite poison as a cure. And poor hapless @ICMRDELHI and Dr Bhargava will be mounting clinical trials to test potential junk.

Of course, India is already well down this road. Scientific bodies have been leaned on to investigate #Pranayama and #GayatriMantra chanting in Covid. newslaundry.com/2021/05/27/cha…

But that is not a reason to compound the problem further. On this occasion, @ICMRDelhi should politely and firmly tell the Vice-President and the Andhra Pradesh Govt that ICMR wants no part in this charade. The police should disperse the crowd and that should be that.

If the people still want to buy into his remedy and get it online or by following Covid-safe procedures then that is up to them. One must not lightly criminalise stupidity. After all, the Government is distributing no less a quack remedy called #AYUSH64. pib.gov.in/PressReleasePa…