During the Covid-19 pandemic when the entire world was hankering after life saving solutions, a disturbing rise in misleading advertisements in the Ayush sector was noticed with the quacks taking advantage of the public’s vulnerability amid the health crisis in India.
As per the Government data, in 2020 alone, the first year of the Covid-19, 5,861 cases of misleading advertisements were identified, including 171 related to Covid. This alarming trend escalated in 2021 with 8,144 cases reported, of which 43 were Covid-related. In the following year i.e. 2022, approximately 7,367 cases were documented, including four related to the Sars-Cov-19 induced infections.
In contrast, there were 4,395 cases of misleading advertisements in 2019 and just 411 in 2018, highlighting the disturbing growth of deceptive practices during a critical period when the entire world was looking for Covid cure.
To combat this issue, Pharmacovigilance Centres have been established across the country to monitor and report suspicious ads and ensure the safety of Ayush drugs. “Under the pharmacovigilance programme, a total of 38,539 misleading advertisements related to Ayush drugs were identified and reported to the State Licensing Authorities (SLAs) for potential action against the offenders in the past five years,” said Union Minister of Ayush, Pratap Rao Jadhav
However, these reports are generally mild in nature, said the Minister replying to a query in Rajya Sabha.
He said that “None of them were found to be serious, and none required hospitalisation. No fatalities were reported, and all the cases were self-limiting and non-serious.
“The total number of misleading advertisements related to Ayush drugs reported by the pharmacovigilance programme spans almost six and a half years, from 2018 to 2024,” said the Minister giving details of the cases.
“So far in 2024, 4,372 misleading advertisements have been reported, compared to 7,771 in 2023. Notably, the number of misleading advertisements surged during the Covid-19 pandemic. In 2020, the program reported 5,861 cases, including 171 related to Covid.
“In 2021, 8,144 cases were reported, with 43 related to Covid and in 2022, approximately 7,367 cases were documented, including four related to the infection. For context, there were 4,395 cases reported in 2019 and only 411 in 2018,” he said.
From 2020 to July 2024, authorities took action in 378 cases reported to the SLAs. Giving State-wise breakup, the Minister said, the Rajasthan SLA accounted for the highest number of actions with 206 cases, while West Bengal had the least reporting five cases.
“Additionally, the Karnataka SLA took action in 94 cases, Tamil Nadu in 31, Madhya Pradesh in 27, and Uttarakhand in 15.” To ensure the quality and safety of Ayush drugs, Pharmacovigilance Centres for Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Homoeopathy (ASU&H) drugs have been established across the country under a Central Scheme of the Ayush Ministry.
“Since 2018, the Centre has begun receiving reports of suspected reactions, which are individual case safety reports that may signal future concerns. These reports are recorded and submitted to the Drug Policy Section, Ministry of Ayush, for further action. Reporting objectionable advertisements to the respective State Licensing Authorities is a key objective of the program,” Jadhav added.
During the Covid pandemic, around 7 lakh Ayush doctors and Ayush hospitals offered services for Covid management in the country. The nation’s total Covid-19 count has been more than 4.50 crore with the death toll reaching over five lakhs, as per the Government data.