Madagascar has been in the news for touting a herbal medicine product it says can cure the novel COVID-19.
So far, other African countries like Guinea-Bissau, Congo, and Tanzania have all taken delivery of the product.
But Ghana cannot accept or try this medicine.
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Ghana’s Food and Drug Authority (FDA) has hinted it will not allow the use of Madagascar’s purported COVID-19 remedy in the country because it hasn’t been scientifically proven by medical experts.
Chief Executive Officer of FDA, Mimi Delese Darko, says Ghana needs more evidence before accepting the product as COVID-19 cure.
“…Yes, we’ve read about it but what we also look out for is evidence so you cannot just put a drug or a herbal product on the market without evidence and say it treats a disease. So far as we’ve seen, it was tested in about 20 people over 3 weeks and come out with the claim of cure. There is no published study and what we would say is that we will need more evidence,” she said.
Meanwhile, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, has said Ghana is ready to make an assessment on ‘COVID-Organics’- the purported COVID-19 cure from Madagascar.
Madagascar President, Andry Rajoelina has been actively promoting the plant-based tonic, COVID-Organics.
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South Africa has also expressed willingness to assist Madagascar to undertake scientific analysis of COVID Organics (CVO).
Ghana has recorded 372 more COVID-19 cases, making the total case count 3,091, according to the Ghana Health Service.
Nine more patients have recovered and been discharged resulting in 303 recoveries in the West African country per the May 7, 2020 update.
The death toll is still 18. Source: Pulse Ghana
