Coronavirus: FDA approves herbal medicine for clinical trial

The Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) has approved the first herbal medicine for clinical trial on COVID-19 treatment.

It is named Cryptolepis Sanguinolenta, locally known as Nibima.

This was disclosed in a statement issued in Accra on Monday and signed by Mrs Delese A.A. Darko, the Chief Executive Officer of the FDA.

"The Food and Drugs Authority and the National Regulatory Agency in Ghana have approved a herbal medicine; Cryptolepis Sanguinolenta, locally known as Nibima, for clinical trials in January 2021," it said.

The statement said in search of COVID-19 treatment, researchers from the School of Public Health at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology submitted a clinical application.

It said the application was to assess the safety and efficacy of Cryptolepois Sanguinolenta as a potential treatment of COVID-19.

This follows results from lab studies conducted by the KNUST Research team, which points in the direction of possible clinical benefits, the statement said.

FDA APPROVES FIRST HERBAL MEDICINE FOR CLINICAL TRIAL ON COVID-19 TREATMENT. pic.twitter.com/ZKEqrWWW1s

— FDAGhana (@fdaghana) February 1, 2021