The minister of science and technology, Thesele ‘Maseribane, says the national science and technology policy is due to be reviewed.
‘Maseribane acknowledged that the country’s science and technology policy is outdated, and disclosed that it will be reviewed before the end of the current financial year.
He said the policy will be enforced through an Act of Parliament, and will also provide for establishment of an innovation fund.
The minister said this today at a press conference to provide progress on the National University of Lesotho Innovation Hub’s Covid-19 Drug Development Project.
The drug, which is developed by NUL scientists, is set to be tested on rats before clinical trials are conducted on humans. The first laboratory results came out positive that the drug samples are a potential drug to cure Covid-19. The clinical trials will serve to confirm the efficacy of the medicine.
The scientists, who have been working on finding a suitable treatment for Covid-19 related ailments, have developed the herbal mixtures that passed the first category of pharmacological tests in July this year. They have developed the herbal mixtures from local medicinal plants and each of them have undergone extensive scientific testing.
