The Hindu : New Delhi News : Centre to look into complaints against Ramdev's ayurvedic drugs

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Centre to look into complaints against Ramdev's ayurvedic drugs

Aarti Dhar

NEW DELHI: Yoga guru Ramdev could be in for more trouble as the Centre has decided to look into complaints against ayurvedic drugs made at his Divya Yog Mandir Trust in Haridwar.

“If we genuinely do something at this time, people will think we are doing it out of vengeance. Let the dust settle down and then we will act,” Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said on Monday, while talking to journalists.

He said there were concerns, raised among others by the United States Food and Drug Administration, over the ayurvedic medicines made at the Trust.

“I don't think it would be appropriate for me at this juncture to reveal more details. If I do, it will create a bad impression. There are other issues involved. Let the matter settle [down].”

Mr. Azad said the issue was not only the efficacy and contents of ayurvedic drugs sold as medicines by Ramdev's pharmacy, but also the sale of spurious drugs nationwide.

In 2006, Baba Ramdev's pharmacy was in trouble when Brinda Karat, MP, raised the issue of labelling of drugs made at the Trust.

Subsequently, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (the Department of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy) issued mandatory labelling guidelines. There were allegations that the pharmacy used human parts and heavy metals in drugs without informing consumers. There were also some labour-related issues.

“My whole issue was about labelling and informing consumers about the contents of the drug being sold as medicine. While the guidelines were issued the government did nothing to implement them,” she told The Hindu.

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