According to an an analysis done by the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Jodhpur, close to two third of the clinical trials for Covid-19 vaccine in India are being done on traditional vaccine.
These traditional medicines include Ayurveda and homeopathy, which is getting highest public and private funding. These two types of traditional medicines are the highest priorities for the Ministry of AYUSH.
AIIMS Jodhpur study revealed that a a total of 203 trials were registered in the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI), of which 125 trials (61.5%) were related to the AYUSH interventions, while 64 trials (30.7%) were on allopathic drugs.
The study showed that only 12 trials related to the Chloroquine and Hydroxychloroquine as monotherapy or with other drugs were registered on CTRI.
As per the data, 10 trials are based on the the convalescent plasma therapy; 6 trials are related to the Itolizumab. At lest 2 trials are related to the Favipavir, shows the study.
Within the AYUSH system, the highest share is captured by ayurvedic interventions with 69.6% trials. Homeopathy with just 12% of clinical trials occupies the second position, while siddha is at third place with 11.2% share.
“It seems that the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) is making reasonable efforts to encourage researchers to explore these products for covid-19. This is a good sign of future integration between allopathic and AYUSH system, as the practitioners from both streams are working together for the first time,” said Jaykaran Charan, department of pharmacology at AIIMS Jodhpur also author of the study.
The study also showed that 45% of the ongoing clinical trials for covd-19 vaccine had a duration of less than 6 months. Most of these vaccines have either entered second or third phase.
Majority of these vaccines aim to rovide treatment of Covid-19 as compared to the “prophylaxis”.
Prophylaxis is defined as a process of guarding against the development of a specific disease by a treatment or action that affects pathogenesis.
In the proposed Covid vaccines, many ayurvedic preparations like Amalaki (Emblica officinalis), Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera), Guduchi (Tinospora cordifoloia) etc. are being used.
Above preparations are known to have immunomodulation properties
Previous studies suggest that these ayurvedic preparations are effective in preventing many diseases. They have proven record of safety.
Covid-19: China Also pushes traditional remedies
Like India, China is also giving a big push to traditioonal medicines as a way to treat Covid-19. According to a a recent white paper released by the Chinese government traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), 92% of the country’s Covid-19 cases were treated with traditional Chinese medicine (TCM).
TCM which includes a range of treatments from herbal concoctions to acupuncture to Tai Chi, is one of the world’s oldest forms of medical practice.
Six traditional remedies that are being advertised by China as Covid-19 treatments include Lianhua Qingwen – containing 13 herbs such as forsythia suspense and rhodiola rose – and Jinhua Qinggan – which was developed during the 2009 H1N1 outbreak and is made of 12 components including honeysuckle, mint and liquorice.