Researchers at Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Uttar Pradesh have plans to conduct clinical trials on immunity-booster herbal drug Fifatrol to check its efficacy to manage the deadly Covid-19 infection that is currently sweeping the entire world.
The drug, which is produced from immunity-boosting herbs like sudarshan vati, sanjeevani vati, godanti bhasma, tribhuvan kirti ras and mrityunjay ras, tulsi, kutki, is used to treat bacterial infections, flu and viral infections of upper respiratory tract.
This is for the first time the researchers have decided to determine if Fifatrol, produced by AIMIL Pharmaceuticals can be helpful in combating the novel coronavirus, a cure for which is yet to be found.
Sources in the Union Ayush Ministry said that the task force for scientific validation of ayurveda and traditional medicine formulas through research institutions, which was set up at the behest of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s clarion call explore allopathy and Ayurveda therapies for treatment of the Covid-19, is vetting a proposal in this regard.
BHU professor and principal investigator of the proposal Dr KN Diwedi said that Fifatrol is given to patients who have similar symptoms as that of patients suffering from the contagion disease. “Hence, we are now trying to evaluate this drug in critically ill Covid-19 patients to reduce mortality,” he said.
“During a trial on dengue patients, the drug was found to have doubled the platelets. The study also established that it can strengthen the liver with no systemic side effects,” said the scientist.
In fact, researchers at AIIMS, Bhopal, who have been working on Fifatrol have in their preliminary results found that the herbal drug can be a suitable alternative to allopathic antibiotics without causing any side effects.
“Fifatrol is an anti-microbial solution prepared from 13 key herbs including, chirayata, motha and giloy,” said Dr Dwivedi.
The Interdisciplinary AYUSH Research and Development Task Force has members from the department of biotechnology (DBT), Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) as also ayush practitioners and others to identify potential preventive therapy and therapeutic approaches from Ayush systems to different stages in the treatment of Covid-19.