Pakistan announces 'successful' trial of Chinese medicine to treat COVID-19

By Aamir Latif

KARACHI, Pakistan (AA) - Pakistan on Monday announced it has completed a "successful" clinical trial of a Chinese herbal medicine for treating coronavirus.

The announcement was made by Professor Iqbal Chaudhry, head of the International Center for Chemical and Biological Science Karachi, where trials were conducted, saying, Jinhua Qinggan Granules, the Chinese traditional herbal medicine is expected to be effective against the infectious disease, including its latest omicron variant.

Manufactured by Juxiechang (Beijing) Pharmaceutical Co Ltd, the medicine is already being used in the treatment of COVID-19 patients in China.

Speaking to reporters, Chaudhry said the trials were conducted on some 300 patients, who were treated at home.

With an efficacy rate of 82.67%, the medicine would work on mild to moderate COVID-19 cases, according to Dr. Raza Shah, the principal investigator in the trials.

However, there was no word about when the medicine will be available for the general public.

The South Asian nuclear country is currently battling a fifth wave of coronavirus driven by the omicron variant.

The country reported over 4,000 new infections on Monday, the third straight day, in an indication of the rising wave.

Karachi, the country's largest city and the commercial capital, is the worst-hit with an alarming positivity rate if nearly 40%.

Islamabad, nonetheless, said it has no immediate plans to reimpose the coronavirus restrictions despite the rising number of cases.

The country has so far reported over 1.23 million infections with more than 29,000 deaths since March 2020.