SC asks govt to examine homoeopathic drug for cancer treatment

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today asked the Centre and the Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy to conduct clinical trial of a homoeopathic medicine for treatment of cancer patients.

A bench of justices B S Chauhan and Swatanter Kumar directed that a task force of the Council, to be headed by the Centre`s Director General of Health Services, would examine the effectiveness of the homoeopathic medicine, invented by Dr A M Mathur, in cancer treatment.

The court passed the order on a plea by World Homoeopathic Development Organisation, a Gurgaon-based organisation, which had sought the court`s direction to the government to "commission research for homoeopathic composition for cure of cancer."

The plea claimed that the drug, invented by Dr Mathur, could be an efficacious, cost-effective and safe alternative treatment for cancer patients.

The organisation had moved the apex court following the doctor?s failure to convince the Union ministry of health and family welfare?s department `Ayush` and the Council to hold clinical trial of the drug for cancer treatment.

The bench, after hearing the argument, directed the Council to examine the drug and submit a report to it within three weeks.
"It is not an adversarial litigation. Think of human good. If the drug is useless then throw it out," the bench said while posting the case for further hearing on September 3.

According to the plea, Dr Mathur has been treating cancer patients with the medicine since 1999 after he got it patented with the government. He had also been issued license to manufacture and sell the medicine.

PTI

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