Our herbal medicine has not been approved for mass use - KNUST clarifies

The Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) has clarified through a statement that its herbal medicine has not been approved presently for COVID-19 management but rather for a phase II clinical trial on COVID-19 patients.

KNUST in the statement said although preliminary results from our laboratory strongly point in the direction of potential clinical benefits, the team wants to caution the general public against the mass use of Cryptolepis Sanguinolenta for COVID-19 treatment until there is enough scientific evidence from their study.

The Ghana Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) together with the National Medicine Regulatory Agency (NMRA) has approved a herbal medicine Cryptolepis Sanguinolenta locally known as Nibima for clinical trials for the treatment of COVID-19.

The FDA in its statement indicated that the approval of the herbal medicine comes on the back of laboratory studies conducted by the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST).

“In the search for the treatment for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, researchers from the School of Public Health at the KNUST submitted a clinical trial application in September 2020 to assess the safety and efficacy of Cryptolepis Sanguinolenta as a potential treatment for COVID-19.

“This follows results from the laboratory studies conducted by the KNUST research team which points in the direction of possible clinical benefits,” she noted.

After the announcement, the Ghanaian public has expressed joy and welcomed with the news with mixed feelings.

However, the KNUST research teach has cautioned the public against the mass use of the drug until the study is completed.

The study is expected to last for three months and they will update Ghanaians on the outcome.