Two medical scientists from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) have discovered a drug that can cure Hepatitis B disease.
According to the scientists, the drug has so far been approved by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA) and would need support from government to produce the drugs in large quantities.
Hepatitis remains the leading cause of death among five leading Ghanaians today. The disease, be it chronic or acute, continues to affect thousands of Ghanaians each year. Report from the World Health Organization also indicates that, more than 60 million people in Africa have hepatitis B, which causes 60,000 deaths a year
The scientists have successfully been able to cure a hepatitis B patient with an anti-malarial drug known as Nibima which has been approved by the FDA.
Lead researcher, Professor Mohammed Mutocheluh, in an interview with Joy news revealed that herbal formulations produced locally known as Nibima have the potential to cure viral hepatitis after confirming that it is 99% effective against the virus.
“At first we worked on liver cancer. Therefore, I asked a colleague to see if Cryptolepine, an active ingredient, has viral effects. Also, note that it contains anti-bacterial properties after research. “Therefore, we decided to take a closer look at that to see if we could use herbal remedies that contain an active ingredient in treating hepatitis. The good news is that we have found Nibima, ”he said.
The scientists also explained that, the good news about the newly found cure has to do with the cost of the drug, which is cheaper as compared to the foreign drugs.
“When we calculated how much one would have to spend to buy these foreign drugs, we realized that they were expensive. Reached at least GHC 1,000 for 6 months of treatment. Also, these drugs also have side effects. “So we thought that if this treatment was effective, it would reduce costs so that people living with the virus could follow,” Professor Mutocheluh said.
NIBIMA
Nibima is a medicinal plant made from a medicinal plant known as Cryptolepis sanguinolenta.
The medicinal plant is widely distributed in West Africa and is traditionally used to treat bacterial respiratory infections, high blood pressure, and diarrhea. Nibima, produced by the Center for Plant Medicine Research, is an FDA-approved drug for the treatment of malaria in Ghana.
