The Plateau Research Committee on COVID-19 and other infectious diseases has formulated three cocktails namely, Cov-Pla 1,Cov-Pla 2 and Cov- Pla 3 against Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome(SARS-COV-2 ).
The Chairman of the committee, Prof Noel Wannang,disclosed this while giving an update on the body’s activities on Friday at Government House, Jos.
Wannang said the result of the cocktails may provide important breakthrough in the field of herbal medicine, saying the drug treatment trials on patients of COVID-19 would commence, soon.
He explained that the cocktails ,a combination of five plants, was part of the 13 plants the committee’s findings showed, and had antiviral activities against SARS-COV-2.
“Of the 13 plants, ten have been selected based on their Pharmacokinetic parameters of their phytochemicals constituents,”he said.
The Professor of Pharmacology said the the committee developed a protocol for the management of COVID-19 patients using conventional medicines, saying submission would be made to appropriate authorities as part of guidelines for drug production.
“These repurposed drugs cover for asymptomatic carriers,mild/moderate diseaese patients, elderly patients/patients with cardiovascular morbidities, patients presenting with severe disease and patients in shock/critically severe disease,”he said.
He said the committee was negotiating with a company for the patency of the drugs saying, it had also identified preventive strategies for COVID-19 and other infectious diseases which included nutrition and environmental hygiene and sanitation.
The chairman called for the resuscitation of environmental sanitation officers to enforce sanitation exercises in communities across the state, while reassuring the people of the state and other Nigerians of the body’s commitment to finding a cure for COVID-19.
The 13-man academic research committee whose membership was drawn from Tertiary Institutions in the state, was inaugurated on May 18 by Gov. Simon Lalong .
It was mandated to search for conventional or alternative drugs for the treatment and cure of COVID-19, and to design treatment protocol for the disease and reduce over-dependence on foreign solutions.
