Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) Covid-19 Clinical Trial Team KNC19 on Monday, 1st February, 2021 received Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana (FDA) approval for a herbal medicine Cryptolepis Sanguinolenta locally known as Nibima for a Phase II Clinical Trial on Covid-19 patients.
Part of the FDA statement signed by their Chief Executive Officer, Mrs. Delese A. A. Darko stated, “In the search for the treatment for the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, researchers from the School of Public Health at 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.
In an exclusive interview with the University Relations Office, the KNUST Research Team said though they are extremely excited about the development, they want to caution the public against the mass use of the drug until they gather enough scientific evidence from their study. The team assured the public that they will be able to make a definite pronouncement after three months and will update Ghanaians on the outcome accordingly.
This latest ground-breaking research is one of the many efforts of scientists at the premier Science and Technology University in Ghana to find a lasting solution to the novel Covid-19 pandemic which has ravaged the entire world.
KNUST has been one of the research giants in Ghana, leading the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic since its outbreak in December 2019. KNUST has since been producing one of the best hand sanitizers in the country after the World Health Organisation (WHO) announced that alcohol-based sanitizers could help in the fight against the spread of the virus.
The Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research (KCCR), one of the University’s research centres, has also played a prominent role as the biggest testing centre for the whole Northern sector of the country and has so far performed over 200,000 tests since March 2020.
Likewise, scientists from the School of Public Health, KCCR and the University Hospital have championed public education on TV, radio, social media and through other online portals.