Joshua Nahamya
10 February 2025
Kampala – The Minister for Science Technology and Innovation [STI], Dr Monica Musenero has congratulated Kazire Health Products Limited and Busitema University scientists upon manufacturing two herbal medicines that will be used to treat respiratory diseases.
“Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat Office of the President [STI-OP] is pleased to announce that a clinical trial conducted in Uganda by the Makerere University Lung Institute [MLI] on two locally made herbal medicines are safe and effective in treating acute respiratory illnesses,” she said
According to Musenero, the two herbal medicines that passed the phase 2A clinical trial will treat obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, influenzas, and pneumonia most especially in rural areas.
“This is a major break-through for thousands of people in our country who suffer from obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, influenzas and pneumonia particularly in rural areas,” she said
Dr Musenero said that acute respiratory tract infections [ARTIs] are among the five most common causes of morbidity and mortality globally, accounting for approximately 3.9 million deaths annually.
“In Uganda, ARTIs have remained the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children under the age of 5 years, accounting for about 9% of the deaths and sickness,” Musenero said
Dr Musenero inspired by the natural harbal innovations to solve health challenges in Uganda.
She added that more than 14 million cases are reported annually in Uganda, whereby outpatients spend about Shs 12,000 and inpatients spend about Shs 600,000 per episode of the treatment.
Dr Musenero explained that historically in Uganda, natural therapeutics (herbal medical products) remain largely unstandardized, poorly packaged, and often perceived as witchcraft thus challenging the scientists to always document their innovations and products to fight concoction and mistrust.
“Although there is a large number of Medicinal concoctions derived from medicinal plants that have been traditionally used within Ugandan communities, with knowledge passed down through generations, their outcomes (effectiveness) both positive and negative effects remain undocumented, with no formal records available” adding that, this lack of evidence has hindered their broader acceptance and export potential, keeping herbalists largely in subsistence Livelihoods,” Musenero explained.
She said that the clinical trial of natural therapeutics [CONAT] platform was set up by the government to allow for standardization and improvement of the general health of Ugandans thus appealing to the scientists to utilize it.
“Clinical trials aim to bridge this gap by providing scientific validation of herbal remedies, standardising production processes, and improving packaging. When proven effective, these efforts now open new economic opportunities, generate revenue for the country, and enable herbalists to transition from subsistence to commercial production.” Musenero stressed
She added that “it is time for Uganda to leverage the abundance of flora to tap into the global market for natural therapeutics valued at over USD$ 216.4bln”.
Meanwhile, Edward Kazaire, the Principal Investigator and a renowned proprietor of Kazire Health Products Limited said that the study, funded by the STI-OP, marks a significant milestone in Uganda’s efforts to standardize and commercialize natural therapeutics as part of the pathogen economy.
He said that the phase 2A clinical trial, conducted from March 2023 to July 2024, involved 510 participants aged 18 years to assess the safety, pharmacokinetics, efficacy, and effectiveness of herbal medicines.
“Patients who received the herbal drugs alongside standard of care experienced faster symptom resolution, occurring on average in 4 days, compared to 6 days for those on standard of care alone,” Kazaire said
He added that both drugs demonstrated strong antiviral effects during the laboratory tests. “With the few participants that were positive for one of the virus, there was evidence that both herbal medicines cleared the various faster than the standard of care,” Kazaire noted
He also said that both herbal medicines demonstrated a good safety profile with no side effects in most participants, thus the study concluded that both herbal products are effective in treating acute respiratory illness, offering faster symptom resolution and have a favorable safety profile.
“Only a few individuals experienced mild effects such as feeling of abdominal fullness, heartburn and dizziness,” Kazaire said
Meanwhile, as the two herbal medicines wait for advanced assessment for certification by the National Drug Authority, Kazaire challenged his fellow researchers to continue with studies to optimize dosing and minimize side effects.
“The study highlights the success of a framework that allows for rapid evaluation of multiple therapeutic products which can be applied to other resource limited settings.” Kazaire stressed
He thanked the Government of Uganda that provided funding and technical guidance through the Science, Technology and Innovation Secretariat- Office of the President (STI-OP), the Investigation Team, the CONAT program implementing institutions that Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI), Uganda Virus Research Institute (UVRI) Directorate of Government Analytical Laboratory (DGAL), Natural Chemotherapeutics Research Institute (NCRI), Makerere University College of Veterinary Medicine, Annual Resources and Biosecurity (COVAB) among others for the necessary support.
