COA Mixture, has been selected to be part of herbal medicines in the essential medicines list by the Ministry of health to be administered in the mainstream health delivery services in the various health facilities in Ghana.
This was announced by the Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Mahama Asei Seini while Speaking on Behalf of the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman Manu at the re-launch of COA Mixture.
The COA Research and Manufacturing Company Limited on Wednesday, May, 25, 2022 re-launched COA Mixture, a herbal medicine that supports the general wellbeing of people.
The COA Mixture is a well researched plant medicine that is scientifically developed for general wellbeing and has also been approved by the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA).
The re-launched COA Mixture is an upgrade in drug development and after going through the processes from the FDA, it has been upgraded from a food supplement to a herbal medicine for general wellbeing.
Read Also: COA Mixture re-launched; upgraded from food supplement to medicine
Speaking at the event, the Health Minister said the government is committed to creating an enabling environment so that plant medicine can compete favourably with orthodox medicine.
“Thereby contributing to Government’s vision of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) and a healthy population which makes it possible and eventually to achieve Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) Three (3) by 2030 that is “Achieving Health for All at all Ages,” he said.
He continued that, “It is based on this that His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, the President of the Republic of Ghana tasked and ordered the Technical Oversight Committee of the Ghana AIDS Commission to conduct a scientific independent evaluation on COA products in response to an appeal from the Chief Executive Officer of COA-RMCL for the government to support studies of their products COA FS then, now COA Mixture and COA-72, which are claimed to be a potential cure for HIV.”
Mr Mahama Asei Seini noted that the Committee had membership representations from Food and Drugs Authority, Ghana Standards Authority, Directorate of Traditional and Alternate Medicine of Ministry of Health, Centre for Plant Medicine Research, School of Biological Sciences, University of Ghana, Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research, Traditional Medicine Practice Council, Ghana AIDS Commission and COA Research and Manufacturing Company Limited.
According to him, since September, 2019, the committee, met four times to review and analyse documents and digital materials submitted by COA-RMCL on its products, adding that these data and studies were extensively deliberated upon considering the local context and global practices in drug development practices by members of the Committee.
“The Committee has completed its task and has duly submitted their report. To this end, a process to incorporate herbal medicine into Mainstream health delivery in our various health facilities has been implemented. Now patients can opt for herbal Medicine care when they visit our various hospitals,” He said.
He stressed that,”Also, Selected herbal medicines have been included in the Essential Medicines List by the Ministry of Health. I am
aware engagements are ongoing at the various levels with stakeholders in order to ensure the successful implementation of this policy which begun in 1988. COA Mixture, is part of the medicines that have been selected.”
Mr Mahama Asei Seini said, “This means that COA Mixture can now be prescribed in the various health facilities across the country.”
He added that,”Ghana cannot do without herbal medicine. The Ministry of Health is counting on companies like yours to help promote the wellbeing of our people. Do not rest on your oars until Ghana becomes the ultimate choice of plant medicine in Africa.”
Ghana| Atinkaonline.com| Porcia Oforiwaa Ofori