KP scientists discover indigenous drug for treatment of Leishmaniosis, KMU to hold clinical trails

PESHAWAR, Aug 09 :In a remarkable achievement, the scientists in medicine have successfully prepared an indigenous drug for treatment of Cutaneous Leishmaniosis (CL), a painful skin disfiguring disease registering constant surge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province during last several years.
A duo of scientists from Khyber Medical University (KMU) and Gomal University D.I.Khan worked over for more than five years and finally became successful in preparation of a herbal ointment that gave very encouraging results in all stages of testing including `In vitro’ (laboratory) and `In vivo’ (in living organism including animal and humans).
Dr. Momin Khan, Associate Professor Micro Biology KMU and Dr. Adnan Ameen, Chairman Department of Pharmacognosy, the branch of knowledge concerned with medicinal drugs and other natural resources, Gomal University are founders of indigenous herbal ointment for treatment of CL.
Caused by bite of sand fly, CL is a parasitic disease that badly damages skin and also serves as a source of distress because of psychological trauma inflicted on patients by causing disfigurement on exposed body parts mostly face.
Leishmaniosis, a Neglected Tropical Disease (NTD), is endemic in Pakistan, mostly in KP and Baluchistan provinces and its treatment is solely dependent on support from international organizations including World Health Organization (WHO), Unicef, Gavi and Medicine Sans Frontier (MSF) in its import and supply at public sector hospitals.
Declaring the discovery as a praiseworthy development, Vice Chancellor KMU, Dr. Zia ul Haq has announced funding for large scale clinical trials of the new drug at hospital of KMU.
“We will hold trials for three months by applying drug to around 340 patients of CL and would also do follow up for obtaining complete results,” Dr. Zia-ul-Haq told APP.
After gaining satisfactory result by fulfilling all international formalities, steps would be taken for commercial production of the drug to help thousands of patients of CL in the province in getting easy treatment at very affordable price, Dr. Zia added.
Sharing details of the discovery, Dr. Momin Khan informed APP that the drug, titled as `Leish-Nat Z’ is prepared through mixing different herbal substances including Allium Sativum, Pistacia Vera Oil, Cinnamomum Verum, Syzygium Aromaticum (Clove), Nigella Sativa and Azadirachta Indica (Neem Tree).
Claiming to be totally organic product, Leish-Nat Z is prepared on trial basis by `ana’ Herbal Pharmacy Solutions.
Dr. Momin, who did Phd on Leishmaniosis from Quaid-e-Azam University, explained that medicine preparation started from collection of infected skin from patient for holding of culture test.
After obtaining satisfactory results at laboratory, the drug was applied on a mice that was infected by CL through injecting disease. The medicine also treated infected rat, he went on to say.
Later in the third stage, clinical trials were taken both in KMU and Gomal University by applying medicine on different patients.
Some trials were also conducted in Chakdara area of Dir and almost all the patients expressed great satisfaction over result of the medicine, showing very encouraging results within a month period.
Leish-Nat Z is easy to apply and is not painful as Glucantime, a pentavalent antimonial, serving as first line drug for treatment of CL, administered through injecting directly in infected skin, Momin explained.
“I had sever pain and itching in my right leg due to infection of CL and despite of getting few injections from hospital, was not getting required results,” shared Abdul Shakoor, a security guard at KMU who dwells in Khyber District of KP, a hotspot of Leishminiasis.
“After getting treatment of Leish-Nat Z therapy, the infection disappeared within a one period, giving me a great relief,” said Shakoor while showing healed portion of his infected skin.
A number of other patients including a pharmacist, Fawad shared benefits of newly discovered medicine in treatment of CL and demanded its large scale production because of demand from several people within his neighborhood in Warsak area near Mohmand District.
“We have applied for `Patent’ for registration of the invention and after approval will approach Drugs Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for large scale production of medicine through involvement of any pharmaceutical industry,” said Dr. Adnan Ameen of Gomal University.
He also disclosed that a project for large scale production of Leish-Nat Z is submitted with Higher Education Commission (HEC) of Pakistan and is in final stages of approval.
Dr. Adnan also requested Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to extend support to the initiative by arranging its large scale production as number of CL patients are in thousands.
According to data of Public Health Department of KP, the number of CL infection registered in province in 2023 is around 25,300. Whereas due to acute shortage of glucantime vials in government hospitals for the last several months, patients are facing great hardship in getting free treatment on regular basis.
Glucantime injection in open market are being sold at exorbitant rates of around Rs. 2000 per one and it is not possible for poor people to arrange more than 20 shots for treatment of patients, observed Dr. Momin.
In some hotspots of CL in KP including Mohmand, Khyber, Karak, Waziristan, there are three to four patients in each home who cannot afford purchase of medicine from market.
The cost of locally manufactured drug even at low scale production has been estimated as around Rs. 850 and one bottle can be used by more than one patient, he claimed.
“If Leish-Nat Z is prepared on large scale and government provided some subsidy in its price, it will be very affordable, effective, easily available, pain free treatment and will provide relief to thousands of CL infected patients in Pakistan and even in Afghanistan,” Momin remarked.