File image of Maharashtra home minister Anil Deshmukh. ANI

Mumbai: The sale of Coronil tablets of Patanjali will not be allowed in Maharashtra without “proper certification”, state home minister Anil Deshmukh said on Tuesday.

The statement came a day after the Indian Medical Association (IMA) expressed shock over the “blatant lie of WHO certification” for Coronil tablets which Patanjali claims is an evidence-based medicine to fight COVID-19 .

While the IMA also demanded an explanation from Union Health Minister Harsh Vardhan in whose presence the medicine was launched, the World Health Organisation clarified that it had not reviewed or certified the effectiveness of any traditional medicine for the treatment of COVID-19 .

Without naming anyone, Deshmukh said on Twitter that it was “highly deplorable” that two senior Union ministers had endorsed the drug.

#Coronil के तथाकथित परीक्षण पे #IMA ने सवाल उठाए है और #WHO ने कोविद के उपचार के लिए पतंजलि आयुर्वेद को किसी भी प्रकार कि स्वीकृति देने से इंकार किया है। ऐसे में जल्दीबाज़ी में किसी भी दवा को उपलब्ध करवाना और दो वरिष्ठ केंद्रीय मंत्रियो द्वारा सराहना उचित नहीं। (१/२)

— ANIL DESHMUKH (@AnilDeshmukhNCP) February 23, 2021

“The #IMA has questioned the said `clinical trials’ of#Coronil & WHO refuted the false claims made by #PatanjaliAyurveda for giving any certificate regarding its effectiveness for #Covid19 treatment,” Deshmukh said. “…selling of #Coronil without proper certification from competent health organisations like #WHO, #IMA and others will not be allowed in Maharashtra,” the minister said.

Yoga guru Ramdev’s Patanjali Ayurved had on 19 February said the Coronil tablet had received certification from the Ayush Ministry as a medicine supporting COVID-19 treatment as per the WHO’s certification scheme.

However, Patanjali’s managing director Acharya Balkrishna later said: “We want to clarify to avoid confusion that our WHO GMP compliant COPP certificate to Coronil is issued by DCGI, Government of India” and “WHO do not approve or disapprove any drugs”.