'Herbal Omicron drug' sold by Andhra Pradesh resident causes stir

A native of Andhra Pradesh is reported to have been selling a herbal medicine claiming it to be a preventive drug for the Omicron variant of coronavirus. 

Bonigi Anandaiah, a resident of Krishnapatnam, in the state's Nellore district, caused a stir in the village by handing out the herbal Omicron drug. 

The man was confronted by the villagers after residents from neighbouring hamlets and towns arrived at Krishnapatnam to buy the 'magic drug', India Today reported. 

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The police stepped in after a protest was held outside Anandaiah's home against the 'Omicron drug'. The villagers asked him if he had received prior permission from the concerned health authorities to distribute the medicine. 

The villagers also stated that the inrush of people from other districts might spread the infection in Krishnapatnam. 
Previously, Anandaiah had allegedly sold a similar herbal drug during the second wave of COVID-19 with the help of local MLA Goverdhan Reddy, according to the report. 

A team from the AYUSH Ministry had also briefed Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy in June as he had called for examining the drug. The state government then permitted the use of herbal medicine being administered to COVID patients by Anandaiah.  

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Although the decision was taken after the findings of the Central Council for Research in Ayurvedic Sciences (CCRAS), the state government had deferred the decision to prescribe the eyedrop variant of Anandaiah's medicine, which he claimed boosted oxygen levels in critical patients. 

The medicines have been code-named by Anandaiah as P for clearing infection in the lungs, F for clearing poisonous substances from the body, K for critical cases, and L to activate the liver, the report added.