SC notice to Centre on plea seeking to restrict use of Remdesivir, HCQ in COVID-19 cases

New Delhi, Oct 29: The Supreme Court has issued notices to the Centre on a petition that sought to restrict the use of Remdesivir and HCQ as medicines to cure COVID-19.

The petition filed by M L Sharma said that a report by the World Health Organisation (WHO) says that these two drugs had little or no effect on COVID-19 patients. Owing to this report, the use of these drugs must be restricted as medicines to cure COVID-19, Sharma also said.

He further said that these drugs are uncertified and are only allowed for emergency treatment.

Meanwhile, a study by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) said that BCG or the Bacillus Calmette-Guerin is beneficial against COVID-19 among elderly people.

In July, the ICMR had said it would conduct a multi-centric study to assess whether the BCG vaccine, used against tuberculosis, can prevent the occurrence of coronavirus infection and reduce the severity of the disease and mortality among elderly individuals residing in hotspot areas.

The research concluded that the BCG vaccination was associated with enhanced innate and adaptive memory cell subsets as well as total antibody levels in elderly individuals, suggesting its potential utility in SARS-CoV2 infection which causes Covid-19, by enhancing heterologous immunity.

An ICMR statement read, "in an ongoing study, scientists at ICMR have found that the BCG vaccine induces increased memory cell responses and total antibody production in elderly."

an ongoing study, scientists at ICMR have found that the BCG vaccine induces increased memory cell responses and total antibody production in elderly," it was also stated.