Buhari receives Madagascar’s COVID-19 herbal drug
The herbal drug which Madagascar says it uses to treat COVID-19 patients has reached Nigeria.
President Muhammadu Buhari, who received portions of the drug from Guinea Bissau President Umaro Sissoco Embalo on Saturday, said the drug must be verified before use.
Garba Shehu, presidential spokesman, quoted Buhari as saying the drug will go through the verification process which other remedies for the disease are being subjected to.
“We have our institutions, systems and processes in the country. Any such formulations should be sent to them for verification. I will not put it to use without the endorsement of our institutions,” Buhari said.
The drug, which is branded as herbal tea and named COVID-Organics, was launched on April 20, with its main ingredient being sweet wormwood (Artemisia annua), a plant of Asian origin from where the antimalarial drug, artemisinin, came.
At least 55 COVID-19 patients in Madagascar have recovered after being treated with the remedy.
During the launch, Madagascar’s President Andry Rajoelina had said: “All trials and tests have been conducted and its effectiveness in reducing the elimination of symptoms has been proven for the treatment of patients with COVID-19 in Madagascar.”
But the herbal remedy has remained a subject of controversy. Madagascar’s national medical academy had cast doubt on its efficacy while the World Health Organisation (WHO) said it is still being studied.
Top Nigerian medical associations such as the Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) and the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN) rejected it, describing the country’s acceptance of the remedy as embarrassing.
Your comment..NMA, PSN, you guys did a great job by calling it embarrassing, but what have done on your part? Africa arise!!! say no to discrimination. don’t be fooled by the so called International agencies
Embarrassing or encouraging, let’s give it a try and see if it works. thanks
May Allah coexistence and protect us about respect to the issue of that herbal.
May God help us all
I’ll say it a good news, I pray God help us
Keep it up Mr President
Please try it out. People are dying. Try it out oooo
The embarrassment are our organizations in charge of medical practices. You have done nothing to bring to Nigerians your findings you are here running down another country that have made one available.
Shame on our system. I give our President hand for wanting to give it a try.
Your comment..embarrassing is not a any let try we can see either its work or on.thank
It is very good the treatment is coming from Africa let th3m call it what ever they want Mr President give it a try
Let NMA manufacture theirs and use it to safe the country from National disaster. I appreciate my African coounterpart. God bless you.
The (NMA) and (PSN) failed in finding the cure and are calling the acceptance as embarrassment they are foolish for thinking that way, so we should wait for you to look for the cure while people are dieing
Think responsible please
Nigerian Doctors wants to claim they knows what’sup by joining the western countries in rejecting the only solution to their problem….. Nigerian Doctors swallow your pride ooo
I don’t know the problem with we Africa we have under estimated ourself that we can not do good things if it’s Western world that bring that drug we will quickly accept it may God safe Africa from this colomentality.
Congratulations Africans. This is a welcome progress. All we watch in Nigeria news is no of cases, waiting for vaccines abroad. Now that our own has found a remedy, NMA… are calling it embarrassment? I am actually disappointed in ur high level of incompetence. Up Madagascar. Just like Up Chad in…….