The World Health Organisation (WHO) said in a statement on Monday that it welcomes innovations including repurposing drugs, traditional medicines and developing new therapies in the search for potential treatments for Covid-19.
The WHO says it recognises the benefits of traditional, complimentary and alternative medicine and acknowledges the role of traditional medicine and practitioners in Africa, among others.
“Medicinal plants such as Artemisia annua are being considered as possible treatments for Covid-19 and should be tested for efficacy and adverse side effects. Africans deserve to use medicines tested to the same standards as people in the rest of the world.
“Even if therapies are derived from traditional practice and natural, establishing their efficacy and safety through rigorous clinical trials is critical.
It said that ministers of health in African countries at the fiftieth session of the WHO regional committee for Africa adopted a resolution to produce evidence of the safety and benefits of traditional medicine.