Herbal medicines pass trials for respiratory illness treatment
Science minister Dr Monica Musenero described the development as a breakthrough for the country.
Dr Monica Musenero, the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation pose with some of the herbal medicines as she addressed the media on the drugs made by Our Own Ugandan Scientists from Natural Herbs that Successfully Underwent Clinical Trials at the media center on February 10, 2025. (Photos by Nicholas Oneal)
NewVision Reporter
@NewVision
The Government has cleared two locally made herbal medicines: Tazcov and Kazire Vidicine for respiratory illnesses including asthma, cough, influenza type A and B, syncytial virus and COVID-19 symptoms.
The clearance follows a clinical trial locally conducted by the Makerere University Lung Institute (MLI) and the two medicines demonstrated that they are safe and effective in treating acute respiratory illnesses.
Addressing the media at the Uganda Media Centre in Kampala today (February 10, 2025), science minister Dr Monica Musenero described the development as a breakthrough for the country.
Musenero said this was the first clinical trial to be conducted on locally invented herbal medicines, underscoring the need for more innovators to step up efforts to ensure more production of drugs.
"As government, we are pleased to announce this pivotal development. This is a breakthrough for thousands of people in our country who suffer from obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, influenza and pneumonia, especially in rural areas," Musenero stated.
The minister explained that acute respiratory tract infections (ARTIs) are among the five most common causes of death in children globally, accounting for approximately 3.9 million deaths annually.
In Uganda, however, according to Musenero, ARTIS has remained the leading cause of death among children under five, accounting for about 9% of the deaths and sickness.
Accordingly, more than 14 million cases are reported annually in Uganda, where outpatients spend about shillings 12,000 whereas inpatients about shillings 600,000, per episode treatment.
"Statistics are alarming, but when you look at the steps Uganda has moved, indicate that we are confident that we shall not remain the same. We call upon Ugandans to trust the process, we are doing our best to prevent and treat these diseases, " the minister said.
About the clinical trials
Before the clearance, the two products were treated in clinical trials conducted by the Clinical Trial of Natural Therapeutics (CONAT), a platform which was set to allow for the standardisation and improvement of the general health sector, according to Musenero.
CONAT undertakes clinical trials for the safety, pharmacokinetics, efficacy and effectiveness of herbal medicines. Accordingly, CONAT is hosted at the Makerere University Lung Institute in Kampala.
The trials were conducted in two phases: From March 2023 to July last year, involving 510 participants aged 18 and above across nine public health facilities in Kampala who were randomly assigned to receive samples.
Dr Monica Musenero (center) the Minister for Science, Technology and Innovation with Dr Bruce Kirenga (3rd left), the Chief Research Scientist Makerere University Lung Institute pose with some of the herbal medicines after addressing the media on the drugs made by Our Own Ugandan Scientists from Natural Herbs that Successfully Underwent Clinical Trials at the media center on 10th Feb 2025.
Accordingly, the study aimed to evaluate the safety and efficaciousness of these herbal medicines in resolving symptoms and clearing viruses associated with acute respiratory illnesses.
"It is time for Uganda to leverage the abundance of floral to tap into the global market for natural therapeutics valued in dollars," Musenero said.
Key findings
Speaking at the same event, Dr Bruce Kirenga, the principal investigator at CONAT, said upon trials, patients who received the herbal drugs alongside standard of care (nonherbal drugs) experienced faster symptom resolution, occurring on an average of four days, compared to six days for those on standard care alone.
He said the development indicated the likelihood of resolving key symptoms such as cough, sore throat and fever which he said was generally higher than in participants that were on one of the herbal drugs.
On clearing the virus, Kirenga noted that both drugs demonstrated strong antiviral effects during laboratory studies.
"With few participants that were positive for one of the viruses, there was evidence that both herbal medicines cleared the virus faster than the standard of care," Kirenga said.
Additionally, both herbal medicines demonstrated a good safety profile with no side effects in the majority of the participants, according to Kirenga.
"Only a few individuals experienced some side effects such as the feeling of abdominal fullness, heartburn and dizziness. These were mild, generally resolving by themselves within three days or unrelated to herbal medicines, " he said.