Govt unveils locally made herbal medicines for respiratory illnesses

Uganda has unveiled its first-ever locally produced herbal medicines for treating acute respiratory illnesses.

Globally, acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are among the five leading causes of illness and death, accounting for approximately 3.9 million deaths annually.

Speaking to the media in Kampala on Monday, the Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr. Monica Musenero, noted that the two new herbal medicines, Kazire Vidicine and Tazcov, were approved after a clinical trial conducted in Uganda by the Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI), funded by the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation.

Dr. Musenero emphasized that the Consortium for Natural Therapeutics (CONAT) conducts clinical trials to determine the safety, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and effectiveness of herbal medicines.

“This is a major breakthrough for our country and maybe for the whole of Africa because many of our people suffer from infections of the chest including Covid, it is infection,” she said.

She also stated that Uganda’s herbal medical products are largely unstandardized, poorly packaged, and often perceived as witchcraft. However, she added that these clinical trials aim to address this gap by providing scientific validation of herbal remedies, standardizing production processes, and improving packaging.

Written by Barbra Anyait