The World Health Organisation (WHO) has partnered with Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to launch an expert advisory committee/panel to provide independent scientific advice and support to African countries on the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicine therapies.

Development Diaries learnt that the 25 member Regional Expert Committee on Traditional Medicine for Covid-19 will support countries in collaborative efforts to conduct clinical trials of traditional medicines in compliance with international standards.

It was also learnt that members of the committee were mainly from research institutions, national regulatory authorities, traditional medicine programmes, public health departments, academia, medical pharmacy professions and civil society organisations of member states.

The Regional Director of WHO in Africa, Dr Matshidiso Moeti, said, ‘Interest in traditional medicine as potential remedies for Covid-19 is growing in Africa. As the world races to find treatment and vaccines against the virus, research into traditional and orthodox medicines as potential Covid-19 therapy must be grounded in science, and today marks an important step in supporting these endeavours’.

The Director of Africa CDC and WHO Special Envoy on Covid-19, Dr John Nkengasong, also said, ‘Commendable efforts are ongoing on the continent to find Covid-19 therapies in traditional medicine. Rigorous clinical testing to evaluate safety and efficacy will be critical, similar to other areas of medicine’.

Source: WHO Africa