•NIMR affirms ABUAD’s Virucidine Liquid for COVID-19

 

By Doris Obinna

The coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic shook the world and brought it to a stand still. The incidence of the COVID-19 grew steadily in Nigeria, moving from an imported case and elitist pattern to community transmission.

However, the danger of COVID-19 is still prevalent in Nigeria as the country is still recording cases. About 266,675 cases have been confirmed, 259,953 cases have been discharged and 3,155 deaths have been recorded in 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory according to the Nigerian Centre for Disease Control (NCDC).

But there is good news for the country with Nigeria’s local solutions to the deadly disease. Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) in collaboration with Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), recently presented the country with the herbal ABUAD Virucidine Liquid for COVID-19 management.

The event, which was held at the NIMR auditorium in Lagos, brought together scientists and stakeholders in the health sector that relayed their experiences during the pandemic as well as lauded the ABUAD Virucidine Liquid for COVID-19 management.

In his opening remark, Director General, Nigeria Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), Prof Babatunde Salako, who lauded the initiative, said that the ABUAD Virucidine Liquid has the potential for the treatment for COVID-19.

According to him, various therapeutic and non-therapeutic measures have been deployed to curtail the spread and impact of COVID-19, and that ABUAD Virucidine Liquid could be Nigeria’s contribution to ongoing global efforts to stem the scourge.

He said the herbal product, already approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for human consumption, shows promises for “safety, efficacy and tolerability on human beings. Indeed, the study showed that the herbal drug cured the 44 participants within three days and may also prevent COVID-19 if taken as prophylaxis.’

“The herbal drug, which had been subjected to scientific scrutiny and passed the first two phases of tests, would encourage the institute to go further in studying its efficacy on a larger number of COVID-19 patients.

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“The dearth of COVID-19 cases in the country necessitated a reduction in the sample size. We may need up to 1,000 patients at this level, but the number of index cases has radically reduced in Nigeria and this may lead us to externalise our research work to countries where the pandemic is still ravaging.

“I want to make people aware of the success that we have made, especially as the drug that we are looking at is home grown. So it is like the Nigerian homegrown solution for a disease that has ravaged the world. Even though we are at preliminary stage, our findings show that this is very promising and what we need to do is to move on to the next stage, which is to conduct the same study in larger numbers of people; it is after that that the regulatory agency will be confident to register it as a treatment for COVID-19.”

Also, chairman, Lagos State Traditional Medicine Board, Prof. Adebukunola Adefule-Ositelu, while reacting to the presentation of the ABUAD Virucidine Liquid, said that what Baba Afe Babalola and his university have done to make this country proud.

“This is a day to visualize the Almighty God smiling from heaven. I am so happy that this is happening before our very eyes today. With what we have seen here today, what we need is to collaborate, work together and begin to develop our various herbal formulations into effective medications. This is the time for us to rethink and unite,” he said.

Member of the Board of Trustees of ABUAD, Prof. Ayodeji Ajayi, said the project is a milestone for the university. He commended the founder of the university, Afe Babalola, for funding the research to enhance capacity in the country.

“This is a major milestone for us because we came to NIMR to validate what we have done and establish the safety and efficacy of the drug to treat COVID-19. It shows that the university has a philosophy that is woven around impacting society through research and creating opportunities for others in the future. We have a lot of other things in the pipeline and we will also bring them to NIMR for validation for the benefit of the country.”

Also, Prof. Idowu Omotuyi, who led the research team, said the country must not always wait for foreign solutions for its health challenges.

Omotuyi, who is a professor of therapeutics and pharmacology, said the ABUAD Virudine Liquid could be safely taken by anyone. He said: “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 of the possibility and the capacity available and the federal government can come and partner with ABUAD for development in areas of indigenous solution.”

Presenting the Proof-of-Concept clinical trial of the ABUAD herbal liquid, Deputy Director of Research, NIMR, Dr Agatha David, said out of 72 participants screened for the trials, 44 enrolled, and 43 (97.7 per cent) of the enrolled participants completed the study.

“The main symptoms at enrolment were cough (65.0 per cent), fever (55.8 per cent), and sore throat (46.5 per cent). A higher proportion of participants in the virucidine arm were SARS-CoV-2 negative by day 3 (61.5 per cent and by day 7 92.3 per cent 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 the control group (88.5 per cent versus 52.9 per cent).  The findings also revealed that the ABUAD Virucidine Liquid was well tolerated and there were no serious adverse events, clinical deterioration or death through the 28 days of follow-up,” David said.

Other health parastatals in attendance include Lagos State Ministry of Health, Federal Medical Centre, Ebute Metta; Mainland Hospital, Lagos; Oba Adejugbe Hospital, Ado-Ekiti; Paelon Memorial Hospital, Lagos as well representatives of Nigerian Council of Physician of Natural Medicine and Lagos State Tradition Medicine Board.