Africa-Press – Lesotho. The National University of Lesotho (NUL Scientists developed four samples for cough mixture which were targeted towards the COVID-19 treatment. Dr Lerato Seleteng-Kose and Mr Motiki Beleme developed four
samples, where two of them were meant for developing a cough mixture, and the other two were targeted towards Covid-19 treatment. Following these developments the Pharmacy Department at NUL
subjected the four samples for experiments and were initially tested for toxicity. The former were developed into a cough mixture (known as Opticough,
which has been in the market since 3rd September 2020), whereas the latter were screened against Covid-19 in South Africa, and the report of their results was
published thereafter. Opticough is a cough mixture used in the treatment of coughs, colds and flu. According to Dr Seleteng-Kose, it is not a Covid-19
product. The potential Covid-19 products still need to undergo pre-clinical and clinical trials, and thereafter be authorised by the World Health Organisation
(WHO) before they can be regarded as a Covid-19 drug. Our reporter, Thoboloko
Ntšonyane had an exclusive interview with Dr Lerato Seleteng-Kose to trace the journey they have travelled and the ground they have covered to have their inventions approved and ready for the market. Below is the excerpt of the interview.
When and how did the work of developing the medicine for Covid-19 start?
The work of developing a potential Covid-19 medicinal product started in March 2020 after lockdown was announced in Lesotho and fears that the pandemic was likely to hit the country.
The creators of the product were then in the process of developing a cough remedy when the Coordinator of NUL Innovation Hub requested them to divert their attention towards Covid-19 treatment.
Kindly remind us what the medication is aimed to do- treat
symptoms of the virus or improve survival and recovery rate of Covid-19 patients? The potential Covid-19 product was aimed at specifically targeting
the Coronavirus, which causes Covid-19. Symptoms of Covid-19 include coughs, fever, headache, flu, which can be treated with any cough mixture, as well as difficulty in breathing and thrombosis which require more specialised medical care.
Who are members of the research team working in this initiative?
The research was conducted by Dr Lerato Seleteng-Kose (a Botanist) and Mr Motiki Beleme (a Chemical Technologist and Traditional Practitioner). However, the Coordinator of NUL Innovation Hub requested some other NUL
researchers to assist the team to apply for funding (but the initiative was not successful). The idea was also to involve them later on, should the products
yield positive results against Coronavirus, where their skills/expertise would then be applicable i. e. during i) pre-clinical and clinical trials, ii) chemical characterisation of the product and iii) drug development.
Last time you reported that the samples have passed the first
pharmacological stages, at what stage are the trials conducted? The samples were initially subjected to toxicity tests at the Pharmacy Department of the National University of Lesotho in June
2020, where they were found to be non-toxic. Then in July 2020, the samples
were sent for screening against Coronavirus at the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria. The samples were found to be active
against two strains of the virus (SARS-Cov-2 and MERS Cov), as well as being non-toxic against animal cells. It is important to note that these were invitro
test (tests conducted in the laboratory tests). Therefore, invivo tests (pre-clinical and clinical tests, which would be performed on animals and humans) are required before the samples can be regarded as treating Covid-19.
Was the University able to raise the required funding of over M7
million needed for the samples to undergo all clinical trials? The University does not provide financial support to projects/companies incubated under its Innovation Hub, but only provides them
with working space and technical support. It is important to note that I was initially under the impression that the required M7 million was for pre-clinical and clinical trials for my Covid-19 project.
However, I later on learned that the fund was meant for a different Covid-19 project (which also included three other projects/thematic areas that I am not part of) planned to be conducted jointly between Lesotho and South Africa under a bilateral agreement. The two countries were thus expected to raise M3.5 million each.
The research team had previously stated that South Africa showed
much interest and wants to partner with you through sharing of costs agreement, in case the required funding is not raised – is this still going ahead?
Indeed, South Africa showed that during meetings held in December 2020 and earlier this year (2021), where the issues of developing a proposal and raising funds for pre-clinical and clinical trials were discussed.
However, as previously mentioned, it later became apparent that the M7 million from the proposal developed by South Africa was meant for different projects, and has nothing to do with my Covid-19 project.
Was the required funding raised?
I have been informed that the M7 million is targeted towards different projects that I am not part of, therefore, I have no idea whether funding has yet been raised or not.
How much support did you receive from the government especially
financially to see the process through? The project did not receive any financial support from the Government of Lesotho. However, the Ministry of Communications, Science and
Technology – MCST) has supported the project, where Chief Thesele ‘Maseribane, the then Minister of MCST, personally took the samples to CSIR during hard lockdown
(in July 2020) when ordinary citizens could not cross the border. This was done without any financial bearing on the project, hence was a big breakthrough.
What other activities has the scientists been doing concerning the
Covid-19 related remedies? The Covid-19 project has been on hold since there are no funds to finance the pre-clinical and clinical trials. I have no information on the progress of the other Covid-19 project to be covered under the M7 million.
In case there are challenges along the
development journey of this medication, what kind of help are you looking for to address those bottlenecks? The team has been under attack by people claiming to be creators
of the potential Covid-19 products that were sent to CSIR for screening against Coronavirus. Such people have been mis-informing the nation that we (Dr
Lerato-Seleteng-Kose and Mr Motiki Beleme) worked with them in developing the potential Covid-19 products, whereas their different expertise were not yet
applicable, but would only be relevant during pre-clinical and clinical trials, chemical characterisation and drug development. These attacks have led to the
two of us completely withdrawing from the Covid-19 project for the sake of peace and to give way to such people to continue with their Covid-19 product(s).
Another big challenge is that CSIR has recently sent me a bill of R100, 000 emanating from testing of the two samples in July 2020, and this has to be settled before the end of this month (May).
For More News And Analysis About Lesotho Follow Africa-Press
