PCMD initiates clinical trial on COVID-19 patients

KARACHI:  Dr. Panjwani Center for Molecular Medicine and Drug Research (PCMD), University of Karachi has initiated the clinical trial of the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) “Jinhua Qinggan Granules” in Pakistan for the treatment of COVID-19 mild patients.

The Center for Bioequivalence Studies and Clinical Research (CBSCR), which works as a component of Dr. Panjwani Center, in collaboration with the Indus Hospital, initiated a clinical trial of the Jinhua Qinggan Granules in Pakistan as a revolutionary step in the country’s health care system.

Director of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences (ICCBS) Prof Dr M. Iqbal Choudhary congratulated the team of scientists working at the CBCSR on this important development.

Choudhary pointed out that the initiation of a clinical trial of traditional Chinese medicine in Pakistan was a revolutionary step in the country’s health care system, adding that the herb-based Chinese medicine will be the treatment of COVID-19 mild patients.

The effectiveness and safety of the Jinhua Qinggan Granules will be evaluated on 300 mild-category patients of COVID-19 in the Pakistani population-both male and female, within 5th to 10th days, he added.

“The study is carried out after the approval of the National Bioethics Committee and Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan”, he mentioned.

Prof. Choudhary said the CBSCR of Dr. Panjwani Center has also received a license from DRAP to act as a contract research organization (CRO) to conduct clinical trials for national and the international market.

He added that the center has already conducted clinical trials for Chinese and western pharmaceutical companies. “This is the only clinical trial facility well known for high quality and excellence in clinical research”, he said.

Prof. Dr. Raza Shah, In-charge of CBSCR and principal investigator of the study said, “This traditional medicine is the combination of natural herbs and widely used during the pandemic of COVID-19 in China.”

Its efficacy and safety were evaluated by pharmacodynamics, toxicology, phase II and III clinical studies and used as the approved OTC drug for the treatment of COVID-19 patients, he said, adding that now Jinhua Qinggan Granules has been widely used in clinical practices in China, and its curative effect is significant.