The Food and Drug Administration has approved clinical trials for lagundi by the Department of Science and Technology as an adjunctive therapy for COVID-19.
In his weekly report Friday, DoST Secretary Fortunato dela Pena said that the FDA has approved the project's application for clearance to conduct the clinical trial of lagundi as adjunctive therapy for COVID-19.
The project team has coordinated with selected community quarantine centers where the study shall be conducted – Quezon Institute Quarantine Center, Sta. Ana Hospital, and PNP-NCR Community Quarantine Center.
The DoST-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (PCHRD) had earlier approved clinical trials for lagundi as an adjuvant therapy.
Dela Peña said that the University of the Philippines (UP)-Manila Research Ethics Board has provided ethics clearance.
The DoST has been looking at the effectiveness of certain herbal medicines against COVID-19 since April.
The clinical trials are a five-month project to be implemented by Dr. Cecilia C. Maramba from the University of the Philippines Manila.