NEWS
09 November 2020

Scientists criticize use of unproven COVID drugs in India

Researchers say it is unclear on what basis the drugs were approved for ‘emergency use’.

Gayathri Vaidyanathan

Gayathri Vaidyanathan
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In India, which has the world’s second-largest COVID-19 outbreak, there is a desperate need for effective treatments. But researchers are concerned about how the country’s drug regulator is handling potential therapies. The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) has approved several repurposed drugs for ‘restricted emergency use’ for treating the disease, the first time it has used such powers. Yet scientists say it’s unclear on what basis the drugs were approved, and critics argue that the manufacturers’ data on their effectiveness is unconvincing so far.

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Nature587, 187-188 (2020)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-020-03105-7

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