Africa-Press – South-Africa. South Africa is one of the countries at the forefront of finding more treatments for Covid-19, with several clinical trials being conducted locally.
The country also had clinical trials for vaccines from Johnson&Johnson and AstraZeneca.
Now, the University of Free State will be the first local institution to conduct clinical trials to test traditional medicine to treat mild to moderate Covid-19 patients.
Its Department of Pharmacology and FARMOVS have teamed up to conduct the first South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (Sahpra) approved multi-centre controlled clinical trial of a plant-based product.
FARMOVS is a clinical research company based at the university’s Bloemfontein campus.
The researchers will be investigating whether Phela could be used to treat mild to moderate Covid-19 patients. The trials would be conducted in the Eastern Cape, Northern Cape and Gauteng.
SA scientists testing traditional medicine to fight Covid-19 – with promising early results
Phela is a traditional medicine prepared from four African medicinal plants and which had been developed through the UFS and the Department of Science and Innovation. Historically, this mixture had been used for HIV and repurposed for Covid-19.
According to Motlalepula Matsabisa, professor and Director of Pharmacology at UFS, the trial would start in early April, with each patient scheduled to be on treatment for 28 days.
Matsabisa, who is also the deputy president of the South African Society for Basic and Clinical Pharmacology Society (SASBCP), said the development of Phela had been under stringent scientific scrutiny for its safety in both preclinical and clinical research.
Matsabisa said: “Phela is a herbal product made of four medicinal plants. Traditionally Phela has been claimed for use for a historical disease called muyaga but recently has been scientifically tested and found effective as an immune modulator and benefiting persons with a compromised immune system.
“The Phela plants are found in most provinces of South Africa, and we have cultivated them to control their growth to produce quality raw materials.”
He said the study was an important step for traditional medicine research.
Matsabisa said efficacy studies had shown that Phela “is an immune reconstitution product and does have an effect in killing the SARS-COV-2 virus and most of its variants. Phela efficacy, therefore, needs to be confirmed through randomised controlled multi-centre clinical trials in Covid-19 patients”.
He said while medicinal plants had been used previously to fight diseases, they still needed to go through rigorous research like all other medication.
“Although medicinal plants have been used to combat previous pandemics such as the Spanish flu, avian influenza and others, we still believe rigorous control and efficacy thereof is still to be supported by scientific research and development.
“We have better technologies and resources now, which is why we should take the next step in research to promote consumer safety and to offer them effective alternatives. We do the science to aid in building the herbal industry and develop sustained consumer confidence in traditional medicines,” Matsabisa said.
The power of traditional medicine
Matsabisa, the current chairperson of the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) Regional Expert Advisory Committee on Traditional Medicines, said he wanted to see Africa take the lead in developing traditional medicines.
“My vision is for Africa to share our valuable resources with the world by developing and distributing world-class medicinal solutions. We should develop and strengthen the pharmaceutical local production of well-researched, quality, safe and efficacious African traditional medicines as commercial products.
“We are more than capable of doing so, and now is the time to do it. Numerous discussions have taken place where other African countries will join South Africa in conducting multi-centre studies in clinical trials for traditional medicines.”
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