Coronavirus pandemic: Pankajakasthuri Herbals claims promising trial results of drug

Thiruvananthapuram based Pankajakasthuri Herbals, one among the popular domestic ayurvedic companies, claims interim clinical trial results of its ZingiVir-H,  a herbo-mineral drug made of a blend of seven ingredients, are found to be effective in treating COVID-19 patients.

In an interim report on the clinical trials, the company said of 42 patients, 22 were treated with ZingiVir-H tablets and 20 with a placebo (fake dosing). It was found that all the 22 patients treated with ZingiVir-H were discharged on the fourth day after real-time Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) tests. The remaining 20 patients in the control group who received placebo continued to be COVID-19 positive for 5 to 11 days. The interim trial report is part of a trial among 112 patients as an adjunct therapy for the pandemic as well as among 135 additional patients as a stand-alone treatment in a double-blind study. The trials are progressing in 96 patients undergoing adjunct therapy.

"Ayurveda has a long and storied tradition of helping treat a wide range of conditions, from everyday allergies to more complex ones such as autoimmune diseases and Ayurveda has the power to help develop an effective, cost-efficient and scalable treatment," said Dr J. Hareendran Nair, Founder and Managing Director.

He said the results so far have been very positive. The trial is continuing and will collaborate with government bodies to ensure effective and quick distribution once the drug is approved as a prophylactic treatment against COVID-19, he added.

He said ZingiVir-H tablets had obtained the drugs license of the Kerala government and underwent cytotoxicity tests on human cells at the Rajiv Gandhi Center for Biotechnology and CSIR-NIIST at Thiruvananthapuram. After the animal studies were proved to be harmless, the clinical trial registration was obtained from the Clinical Trial Registry of India (CTRI). Thereafter, the drug was placed in Randomised Single Blind Placebo Controlled Multi-Center Clinical Trial as per ICH-GCP standards of the World Health Organisation (WHO) at various medical colleges with approvals from respective ethical committees.

The clinical trial is being conducted similar to the testing protocols in modern medicine. The results will be published after completion of the clinical trials and blood tests. The interim clinical test results have been evaluated by a 5-member independent peer data monitoring committee (DMC) of experts and were submitted for the approval by the Ministry of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), he said.

Started in 1988 by Dr Hareendran Nair, Pankajakasthuri now makes over 400 ayurveda formulations. Its over the counter (OTC) products like 'Breathe Eazy' to relieve serious breathing troubles and 'Orthoherb', a herbal medicine to relieve joint pain, are popular brands.Also read: Govt shelves plan to merge 3 insurance firms; focus on profitability

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