Madagascar's COVID-19 cure sent to Nigerian research institutes

Popularly known as COVID-Organics, Madagascar's herbal tea that is being  paraded as a cure for the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), has been sent to Nigerian research institutions for close observation.

Last month, Nigeria received five cartons of samples of the herbal tea and they were handed over to the Ministry of Health.

While speaking during a media briefing on Tuesday, June 2, 2020, the Minister of Health, Osagie Ehanire, said that the samples have been sent to various research institutions to investigate the cure claims.

He said samples were sent to the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), the Nigerian Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD), and the Ministry of Science and Technology.

The minister said, "The timeline for delivery is not something you can give anybody in research because they have processes which they have to go through and they will not all be reporting at the same time.

Nigerian PTF receives 5 cartons of Madagascar's COVID-19 cure

Nigeria's Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 says it has received five cartons of what has been touted as a cure for the coronavirus disease from the government of Madagascar.

The President of Guinea Bissau, Umaro Sissoco Embaló, delivered the consignment to Nigeria when he met President Muhammadu Buhari in Abuja on Saturday, May 16, 2020.

The chairman of the PTF, Boss Mustapha, announced during a daily media briefing on Tuesday, May 19 that the task force has taken charge of the herbal solution.

"Those five cartons were delivered to me yesterday (Monday) evening," he said.

Mustapha, who is also the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), said the solution will undergo a process of validation that will be overseen by the Ministry of Health.