According to
Prof Matsabisa, who is the chairperson of REACT, the main purpose of the mission is to meet with researchers in preclinical and as well as those conducting clinical trials for herbal medicines for COVID-19, medicines regulators, ethics committee and the local pharmaceutical companies in the herbal medicines production for COVID-19. The expected outcome of this mission is to take stock of best practices or challenges in traditional medicines research, clinical trials, ethics and medicine regulation around traditional medicines as well as capabilities in local traditional medicine products production.
“The mission will also be looking at technical capabilities for researchers to conduct clinical trials, identify facilities conducting clinical trials, as well as pharmaceutical companies in local production of herbal medicinal products so as to recommend to the AU, countries and member states about these capabilities and how to pool resources together.
“The mission will also be looking for best research traditional medicinal products that have undergone preclinical and clinical research and produced locally so that such products could be recommended for endorsement by the WHO. At the end of the mission a report will be produced and presented to the WHO and the Department of Health and all stakeholders as well as making this report available to WHO HQ in Geneva,” says Prof Matsabisa.
This is an excellent mission given that it has been recognising the research excellence of the UFS Pharmacology IKS to attract international
United Nations (UN) bodies and the AU. The Indigenous Knowledge System (IKS) for Health in the Department of Pharmacology, within the UFS
Faculty of Health Sciences, has excelled in the research and development of traditional medicines.
“The Pharmacology IKS is the first in the country and sub-region to have its research product PHELA, a traditional medicine, to receive ethics approval from Pharma Ethics and
South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA) to be tested in a Phase II clinical trial on COVID-19 patients. This clinical study is a multicentre study conducted at clinical trial sites in Vereeniging, Kimberley and Port Elizabeth.
“It is for this reason that Pharmacology IKS is hosting the WHO Africa CDC, EDCTP and the AU Commission Mission to South Africa delegation for coming to note the best research practices on traditional medicines research, clinical trials and manufacturing of the herbal medicinal products. Pharmacology IKS will take this mission around the country to visit key collaborators in the project, to funders of the project, and some industry partners involved in the research and production of PHELA.”
The delegation will be at the UFS Bloemfontein Campus for the whole day of 17 June 2022, meeting with senior management, meeting chairpersons of ethics committees, visiting different laboratories including Virology, Medical Microbiology, Pharmacology and Farmovs. The other institutions the mission will meet include the National Department of Health, South African Health Products Regulatory Authority (SAHPRA), Pharma Ethics, Technology Innovation Agency (TIA) and the Department of Science and Innovation (DSI) on 13 June 2022. The high-level delegation will visit all three clinical trial sites in Vereeniging, Kimberley and Gqeberha where the Pharmacology PHELA COVID-19 clinical trials are being undertaken. During the visits the mission delegation will be in discussion with participants about best practices that could be taken and expanded throughout the continent and also to hear about challenges so that the WHO could assist.