By Neo Kolane
Pharmaceutical company Organica Global Brands’ state of the art facility in Bela-Bela is local and is open to all pharmacists and individuals who want to test their products locally.
Chief Operations Officer ‘Mamotake Matekane said the Organica Global Brands makes scientifically proven and ready-for-use products.
“At our laboratory we make sure that local products or ideas are brought to life and make it a final product suitable for consumption. It can be exported because it is certified to be fit for use,” Matekane said.
She said agencies like The Creative Lab can make the end product look beautiful while advising Basotho to take ownership of the ideas and be proud of local production.
Matekane recalled that at the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and border control measures, it was difficult for pharmacists to export some materials across the countries.
The facility will be available for pharmacists to expand their practice and pharmacies.
She suggested confidently that one of their products CoviCare is 100 percent herbal and can heal the nation.
CoviCare is a flagship range of phytomedicinal products created by Lesotho Organica Global Brands.
It was the vision of founder, Sam Matekane, to offer a clean, healthy, accessible and effective product that gives people the greatest possible chance to battle and defeat the physical impact of the COVID-19 virus using herbal based medicine, found abundantly in Lesotho.
CoviCare is a Schedule 0 herbal medicinal range that is designed to offer people symptomatic relief throughout the differing stages of respiratory infection they might experience.
Pharmacist, Ntee Tṧiu said CoviCare will compete globally with other medicinal products.
“We are going to make a difference in our country even if the government is slow. We will stand together and grow Organica Global Brands locally and sell our products globally,” he said.
Tṧiu said the product will be distributed to different pharmacies in Lesotho in the coming months.
Dr Thuto Tṧooana who is part of research and developments at Organica Global Brand said after getting the phytomedicine, a survey was conducted.
The aim of the survey was to demonstrate the intended use of the phytomedicine which is to treat flu symptoms, colds and fever.
“We had scores of volunteers, people who had various symptoms of flu, COVID-19 symptoms, bronchitis and a lot of respiratory symptoms. They used the medicine for a few days, results came out and the results were remarkable,” Tṧooana said.
He said possible side effects may vary from one person to another. “Things like an allergic reaction may happen because a person could be allergic to one of the active ingredients.
“This medicine is less likely to cause a person to become nauseous or vomit. During our survey, people told us they had little to see about any side effects,” he said.
Meanwhile, local scientist Lerato Seleteng-Kose welcomed the new medicine range with open arms. Seleteng-Kose is the leading scientist on the multi-million COVID-19 drug established by the five National University of Lesotho (NUL) scientist which is currently on hold due to lack of funding.
“The more the merrier, so that we can reach everyone in order to save lives,” Seleteng-Kose said.
In another development, the vice chancellor of NUL Professor Olusola Isaac Fajana this week said in February this year a meeting was called at the instance of the prime minister Moeketsi Majoro to enable NUL researchers who are involved in the famous innovation of a COVID medicine to make progress on the testing and clinical trials of the drug.
Fajana indicated that it was recommended that the two groups of researchers should be recognised and supported by the government.
“To proceed with clinical tests, it requires a lot of money, which the NUL could not support, so the government felt like this particular development is a big pride to Africa.
“To ignore that development is to risk the next innovation to be hijacked by richer countries. “Naturally, Dr Majoro showed interest and felt it was a good thing to proceed with the tests because it required a lot of money,” he said.
