Supreme Court bench admits PIL on use of Hydroxychloroquine for Covid-19 patients

The 3-judge bench of Justices R.V. Ramana, Sanjay Kishan Kaul and B.R. Gavai heard a PIL  (People for Better Treatment vs. Secretary, Ministry of Health and ICMR; Diary No. 10935/2020) seeking changes in the "Treatment Guidelines" as framed by ICMR and Health Ministry for treatment of severely ill COVID-19 patients and to take necessary precautionary measures before the "off-label" use of Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and Azithromycin (AZM) in acutely ill COVID-19 patients, Saha, president of People for Better Treatment (PBT), a patients' body, told IBNS. 

Several recent studies have shown that HCQ and AZM not only do not help against COVID-19, these drugs can cause serious potential side-effect leading to heart failure and death, he claimed. 

"Our PIL also demanded that valid 'informed consent' must be obtained from the COVID-19 patients before they are subjected to the unproved therapy with HCQ and AZM."

"The Apex Court also directed that ICMR will take necessary measures in this regard too.  Federal Drug Administration (FDA) issued serious warning ("Drug Safety Communication") about the potential dangers of HCQ and AZM on 24th April, 2020 after our PIL was filed.  The SC also granted leave to us to submit the said FDA warnings for ICMR to consider," he said.

"I appeared 'in person' on behalf of PBT from my home in USA and argued via live videoconferencing while the Solicitor General of India, Mr. Tushar Mehta, appeared on behalf of the Ministry of Health and ICMR."

" We welcome this historic development in regard to the rampant use of HCQ (and AZM) in the treatment of COVID-19 patients and hope that the Indian authority will now take the necessary steps to prevent needless injuries and deaths of the COVID-19 patients as a result of adverse effects of an unproven drug (HCQ) based on anecdotal evidence," Saha said.