The Supreme Court today asked the Centre and the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy to conduct clinical trial of a homoeopathic medicine for treatment of cancer patients.
A bench of justices B S Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar directed that a task force of the Council, to be headed by the Centre’s Director General of Health Services, would examine the effectiveness of the homoeopathic medicine, invented by A M Mathur, in cancer treatment.
The court passed the order on a plea by World Homoeopathic Development Organisation, a Gurgaon-based organisation, which had sought the court’s direction to the government to “commission research for homoeopathic composition for cure of cancer.”
The plea claimed that the drug, invented by Mathur, could be an efficacious, cost-effective and safe alternative treatment for cancer patients.
The organisation had moved the apex court following the doctor’s failure to convince the Union ministry of health and family welfare’s department ‘Ayush’ and the Council to hold clinical trial of the drug for cancer treatment.
The bench, after hearing the argument, directed the Council to examine the drug and submit a report to it within three weeks.
“It is not an adversarial litigation. Think of human good. If the drug is useless then throw it out,” the bench said while posting the case for further hearing on September 3.
According to the plea, Mathur has been treating cancer patients with the medicine since 1999 after he got it patented with the government. He had also been issued license to manufacture and sell the medicine.
Keywords: Supreme Court on clinical trial of homoeopathy medicine, homoeopathy drug for treating cancer patients, A M Mathur,
Comments:
Former M.P Mr Abdul Rasheed Kabuli had also taken up the case of one herbal drug S.Compound .The drug has been used by thousands of arthritis sufferers across the country.Initial trials in Germany established its efficacy in cancer.Mr Kabuli personally presented the case to Secretary AYUSH twice & written to Health Minister in this regard but the Government is still silent over the matter.The drug which was used as a supplement with other conventional drug has not even improved the quality of the sufferers but also enhanced the life span in terminal cases.
Government of India should constitute an expert panel to look into the efficacy. Number of herbs available in the country have anti tumor activity.We can improve the living conditions if we supplement these herbs .A Doctor registered in a stream can not prescribe the drugs described in other streams but there should not be any restriction if the drug is 100% herbal in nature & confirms to WHO standards with proper documentations
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