The clinical trial for lagundi as a medicine for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has officially started today, the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) announced.
DOST Philippine Council for Health Research Development executive director Dr. Jaime Montoya said in a media briefing that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and Ethics Review Board approved the trial for the medicinal plant.
‘Yung sa lagundi po, ito po ay nagsisimula na,” Montoya said. “Nakapag-screen na sila ng mahigit 150 na pasyente. Out of which, mga 37 ang nag-qualify at nagsimula na po ang kanilang paglahok, dito po sa lagundi.”
Lagundi has been registered as an herbal drug for cough in the country by the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development.
This comes after the DOST launched its community-based study of virgin coconut oil (VCO) as medicine for COVID-19.
In the same study, they will also start to administer VCO to infected patients at the Philippine General Hospital, the DOST said.
For the first two months of the study, he said VCO is given only to suspected COVID-19 patients and close contacts of positive cases.
Montoya said the application for the study of tawa-tawa as medicine for COVID-19 is still under the review of the Ethics Review Board.
The DOST said that the study may start by next week.
