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The Sondashi HIV/AIDS Herbal medicine that has been undergoing tests in South Africa has shown anti-HIV activity and it is now ready for clinical tests on humans, the Zambian Embassy in that country has revealed.

According to Zambia High Commission to South Africa Spokesperson Patson Chilemba, the announcement was made by South Africa’s Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR)’s Biosciences Executive Director Dr Joe Molete and Technology Platform Manager Dr Vinesh Maharaj last week.
This was when the Zambian High Commissioner to South Africa Mr Muyeba Chikonde conducted a familiarisation tour of CSIR which is the biggest research institute in that country.

Dr Maharaj said CSIR would now proceed to conduct mechanical studies on the herb because earlier laboratory tests on the Sondashi Formula (SF 2000) had shown anti-HIV activity.

“To show that it can produce the same ingredients, and also to show that it has some biological effects against HIV, that has been demonstrated to this point,” Dr Maharaj said.

“The next step before you could actually register such a product is to do clinical studies to show that it is safe in humans, and that’s where the capsules will be now evaluated in a clinical setting.”

He said capsules made from the herb had already been developed to improve patient compliance, and as a refined form on the traditional preparations Dr Ludwig Sondashi was initially using.

Dr Maharaj said CSIR was in the process of signing an agreement on the issues to do with intellectual property and benefit sharing between all the partners involved namely CSIR, Dr Sondashi and the Zambian government, whom he said were sponsoring the clinical study partially.

He said the agreement was likely to be signed in Zambia.

Source: http://zambianeye.com/archives/589