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INDIA-PHARMACOLOGY
Indian pharmacist dies after drinking botched coronavirus treatment
NEW DELHI, May 9, 2020 (BSS/AFP) – An Indian pharmacist died and his boss
was left hospitalised after the pair drank a chemical concoction they had
developed in an effort to treat coronavirus, police said Saturday.
The men worked for a herbal medicine company and were testing their
treatment — a mix of nitric oxide and sodium nitrate — at a home in
southern Chennai city.
K Sivanesan, 47, died on the spot, said local police chief Ashok Kumar.
His colleague Rajkumar was recovering from the poisoning.
Kumar said Sivanesan bought the chemicals from a local market and developed
the formula after conducting research on the internet.
There are no approved medicines or vaccines for treating COVID-19,
triggering a global race for a new drug for the disease.
Nearly 60,000 cases have been detected in India, which has imposed a
drastic nationwide lockdown in an effort to halt the spread of the disease.
BSS/AFP/MRU/2929hrs