KATHMANDU: Nepal's government has not issued any formal ban order against Patanjali's Ayurveda-based Coronil in the country, a health ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.
Yoga Guru Ramdev had introduced Ayurveda-based Coronil tablets on June 23 last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic was at its peak in India.
Health Ministry Spokesperson Dr. Krishna Prasad Poudyal refuted media reports that the Nepal government has banned Coronil in the country.
"The government has not issued any formal ban order against the medicine," he said.
He said that any type of medicines which are supposed to be distributed to the general public needs to be registered at the Department of Drug Administration under the Ministry of Health and Population first.
A packet of Coronil was gifted to Nepal's then Health Minister Hridayesh Tripathi some time ago, Poudyal said.
"Other than that I have no information regarding the matter," he added.
There is no proof that Coronil can cure corona disease, said a Health Ministry official on condition of anonymity.
There are many Ayurvedic medicines available in Nepal, which can boost immunity of individuals and may also help to get rid of corona infection.
However, the World Health Organisation has not yet approved any medicine that can cure corona, he added.
Last month, the Indian Medical Association (IMA) asked The Haridwar-based Patanjali Yogpeeth to withdraw a "misleading" advertisement from all platforms endorsing "Coronil kit", a product of his firm, as an effective medicine for COVID-19, failing which it said an FIR and a criminal case will be lodged against Ramdev.
Nepal on Tuesday reported 3,870 new COVID-19 cases, taking the total number of cases to 5,95,364.
The Health Ministry also said 108 new deaths were reported, including figures from the past few days based on the statistics from the Nepal Army.