The World Health Organization (WHO) has approved a protocol for the third phase of clinical trials of a formula of African herbal medicines as a potential treatment for the Coronavirus "COVID-19."
Experts from the Regional Committee for Traditional Medicine to treat "COVID-19", formed by the World Health Organization, the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the African Union Commission for Social Affairs, raised the issue of using traditional medicines in the fight against the novel Coronavirus after Andrey Radzulina, president of Madagascar (an island state locates in the Indian Ocean off he eastern shore of Africa sub-Equator) suggested, tested a traditional artemisia beverage with proven efficacy against malaria.
This traditional plant-based medicine is widely used in Madagascar, as well as in many other African countries, under the name "COVID-19-Organics", or "CVO."
The WHO has approved the trial protocol, charter, and terms of reference for the formation of a committee to monitor data and safety for clinical trials.
A statement released by the organization said that the clinical trials of the third phase are of critical importance in the full evaluation of the safety and efficacy of the new medicinal product."
The statement quoted Prosper Tomosim, Director of the Universal Health Coverage Group at the WHO African Office, as saying that the emergence of COVID-19, such as the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, highlighted the need to strengthen health systems and accelerate research and development programs, including Traditional medicine.
If one of the traditional medicine products is found to be safe, effective and of guaranteed quality, the World Health Organization will recommend it for local production on a large scale.
The WHO announced last May that it would consider "traditional methods" for treating the new Coronavirus infection, according to a unified procedure that applies to the process of testing all medicines.
The statement indicated that "the Safety and Data Control Committee will ensure that research data is reviewed periodically for the safety of the participants."
It noted that the committee, based on the periodic evaluation of the data of the separate study stages, will decide whether to continue, amend or terminate it.
On the other hand, Bill Gates cannot stop declaring his views on the Coronavirus these days, in his statements, he predicted that the pandemic will end by 2022, thanks to the vaccines in which he has invested heavily.
In an interview with Fox News, the founder of "Microsoft" predicted that for people in the United States, life will return to normal by the summer of 2021, due to the progress made in developing vaccines against the disease.
Gates said that he expects the United States to approve vaccines for public use early next year.
Therefore, he said he was "optimistic" because the epidemic "will not continue indefinitely."
Speaking to the program on Sunday, Bill added that the end of the pandemic may come in 2022.
But during 2021, we should be able to reduce the numbers of infections and deaths, if we take the global approach.
So vaccine technology is there, funding has arrived, companies are putting in better."
He also said that he believed the US Food and Drug Administration could grant approval for "three or four" formulas of vaccines.
Gates said that the question of how to distribute the doses will appear next, expressing his disappointment that the United States has not developed plans to manufacture and distribute vaccines in poor countries.
Gates is known as a major investor in the pharmaceutical sector, and has committed millions of dollars to develop seven different vaccines against "COVID-19" alone.
He previously said that between 70 and 80% of the world's population should be vaccinated against the dedly virus, before anyone hopes to lead a normal life again.