THE DEPARTMENT of Science and Technology-Philippine Council for Health Research and Development warned the public against the unauthorized use of the results of a Lagundi study on Covid19 by companies marketing Lagundi products.

“The study showed that Lagundi may be beneficial to mild cases of Covid19,” DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Jaime Montoya said.

“Despite this, we’d like to emphasize that the results of the clinical trials on Lagundi against Covid19 cannot be utilized by any product other than the one used in the trials without the conduct of similar clinical trials. We encourage the public to be on the lookout for misleading product claims,” he added.

Funded by the DOST-PCHRD, the study of the University of the Philippines Manila sought to evaluate the efficacy and safety of the over-the-counter 600 milligrams Lagundi syrup and tablet in treating mild symptoms of Covid19.

The Lagundi syrup and tablet were formulated through the National Integrated Research Program on Medicinal Plants.

“If taken three times a day, the products were found to be effective in decreasing mild Covid19 symptoms, especially anosmia (loss of sense of smell), and in providing overall relief of discomfort from other symptoms,” the DOST-PCHRD said.

“The results, however, cannot be used as a basis for proving the efficacy and safety of using Lagundi against Covid19 in any form or product other than the one used or tested during the trial,” it added.

The council said clinical trials validate the efficacy and safety of specific formulations using a specified dose for use against a specific disease.

It noted that any product that has therapeutic claims would require successful clinical trials and approval from the country’s FDA before marketing to the public.

“Our study only focused on evaluating the NIRPROMP formulation of the Lagundi syrup and tablet for mild Covdi19,” Dr. Cecilia Maramba-Lazarte, project leader of the Lagundi clinical trials, stressed.

“Accordingly, we have not endorsed any other Lagundi product aside from these, and any other product claims separate from what we studied are not affiliated with the project team, nor UP-Manila,” she added.