Patanjali faces further controversy over Coronil products

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Feb 22, 2021

Ayurvedic fast-moving consumer goods business Patanjali has been forced to clarify again for claims over its Coronil coronavirus remedy, as the World Health Organisation states it has not certified it.

 
Patanjali recently claimed that its Coronil medicine had received certification from the Ayush Ministry as part of the WHO’s certification scheme. However, the WHO swiftly clarified on Twitter that it has not given any endorsement to the products. 

“@WHO has not reviewed or certified the effectiveness of any traditional medicine for the treatment #Covid19,” the WHO’s regional office for South-East Asia posted on its official twitter account.

Patanjali’s managing director, Acharya Balkrishna, then clarified in a tweet that the WHO does not “approve or disapprove any drugs,” writing that he shared this to avoid any confusion. 
 
The business has previously landed in a controversy in July last year after claiming that its Coronil set of products were proven to cure coronavirus. The government Ayush Ministry subsequently issued a statement saying that Coronil could be sold as an immunity booster, but was not a cure for Covid-19. Patanjali then said it was not a cure and marketed the product as an immunity booster. 
 
Patanjali manufactures a wide range of Ayurvedic products ranging from cosmetics to personal care goods to foods. The business greatly expanded its production capacity last year by acquiring the bankrupt Ruchi Soya production plant.