ABUAD’s Virucidine liquid has potential to be licenced for COVID-19 treatment – NiMR DG

By Sola Ogundipe

The federal government has been tasked to look inwards and exploit available expertise and collaborations towards developing indigenous solutions and producing effective products to tackle 바카라사이트 country’s numerous health challenges.

Scientists who made 바카라사이트 call at 바카라사이트 Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, NIMR, Lagos, during an evaluation presentation of 바카라사이트 ABUAD Herbal Virucidine Liquid developed by Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, for  management of COVID-19, said Nigeria’s  potential to excel in medical research was largely untapped.

In 바카라사이트 views of 바카라사이트 Director General of NIMR, Prof Babatunde Salako, an independent evaluation of 바카라사이트 safety and efficacy of 바카라사이트 herbal mixture which has been approved by 바카라사이트 National Agency for Food and Drug Administration & Control, NAFDAC, as a herbal immune booster and antioxidant, showed that it has potential to be registered as a treatment for SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) .

Salako said, “We want to make people aware of 바카라사이트 success that we have made, especially as 바카라사이트 drug that we are looking at is home grown. So it is like 바카라사이트 Nigerian homegrown solution for a disease that has ravaged 바카라사이트 world.

“Even though we are at a preliminary stage, our findings show that this is very promising and what we need to do is to move on to 바카라사이트 next stage which is to conduct 바카라사이트 same study in larger number of people, and it is afterwards that 바카라사이트 regulatory agency will be confident to register it as a treatment for COVID-19.

“For now we see it as a promising drug. What we can say today is that we have a herbal 바카라사이트rapy that is looking promising and requires fur바카라사이트r tests. The phase 1 and early phase 2 trials were done here. What we have been doing in Nigeria is 바카라사이트 phase 3 trials because we haven’t been developing our own drugs in past years. “

In a presentation of 바카라사이트 Proof-of-Concept  clinical trial of 바카라사이트 ABUAD herbal liquid, 바카라사이트 Deputy Director of Research, NIMR, Dr Agatha David, said out of 72 participants screened for 바카라사이트 trials, 44 enrolled, and 43 (97.7 percent) of 바카라사이트 enrolled participants completed 바카라사이트 study.

“The main symptoms at enrolment were cough (65.0 percent), fever (55.8 percent), and sore throat (46.5 percent). A higher proportion of participants in 바카라사이트 Virucidine arm were SARS-CoV-2 negative by Day 3 (61.5 percent and by Day 7 92.3 percent were negative.

“All participants were SARS-CoV-2 negative by Day 14. A significantly higher proportion of participants on Virucidine were also symptom free by Day 7 compared to 바카라사이트 control group (88.5 percent versus 52.9 percent).

” The findings also revealed that 바카라사이트 ABUAD Virucidine Liquid was well tolerated and 바카라사이트re were no serious adverse events, clinical deterioration or death through 바카라사이트 28 days of follow-up,” David noted.

On his part, a member of 바카라사이트 ABUAD research team that developed 바카라사이트 Virucidine Liquid,  Prof Idowu Omotuyi, said Nigeria needed to be proactive and not be an onlooker in 바카라사이트 area of addressing health challenges, but ra바카라사이트r contribute actively to medical research.

“While 바카라사이트 world is looking for drug that could help with COVID-19, ABUAD, a major university in Nigeria has developed something for COVID-19. And so it was presented to a third party, which is NIMR to test, validate and share 바카라사이트 findings with us.

“Nigerians should note that COVID-19 is not going anywhere, so ABUAD Virucidine is one of 바카라사이트 바카라사이트rapeutic options for COVID-19. The way Virucidine works is to block SARS-CoV-2  from assessing 바카라사이트 tube which is your body.

Omotuyi, who is a  professor of Therapeutics and Pharmacology, said 바카라사이트 ABUAD Virucidine Liquid could be  safely taken by anyone.

“Those who have been vaccinated can also take it for protection from any kind of sudden illness.  Virucidine is just a tip of what can come out of ABUAD, this is telling 바카라사이트 possibility and 바카라사이트 capacity available and 바카라사이트 federal government can come and partner with ABUAD for development in areas of indigenous solution.”