NDA receiving proposals for research into COVID-19 medicine

Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | National Drug Authority (NDA) is currently receiving research proposals towards the development of medicine for treating the coronavirus–COVID 19. The NDA Public Relations Officer, Fredrick Ssekyana told Uganda Radio Network in an interview on Monday afternoon that they started receiving documents on Friday and will continue throughout the week.

He said by end of week, experts will have completed analyzing the paper work submitted by different researchers and give them a way forward. All researchers submitting proposals are supposed to indicate what innovations they are venturing into among the categories under NDA’s mandate, which include herbal medicine, chemical drug, medical device, drug – device combination or new manufacturing technology.

Though Ssekyana couldn’t specify the categories under which the submitted proposals fall or even their number, Health Minister, Dr. Jane Ruth Aceng disclosed at a press briefing on Saturday that up to 30 COVID-19 related protocols had been submitted for consideration.

This comes a few days after NDA with the help of police arrested Robert Mujumbi, a molecular medicine scientists who claimed to have found a cure for corona and HIV viruses. Ssekyana confirms that President Yoweri Museveni ordered the release of the scientist and directed that his innovation be checked for efficacy. He said the matter is now being handled by the Health Minister.

However, in an earlier interview the NDA Secretary, Davis Namanya said Mujimbi cannot ably explain his innovation as he couldn’t point out any one who he claims to have healed using his enzyme based medication.

Nahamya said in the absence of a known cure for COVID-19, unscrupulous people are selling supplements to people marketing them as medicine.

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