WHO and the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) launched an expert advisory committee/panel in July to provide independent scientific advice and support to countries on the safety, efficacy and quality of traditional medicine therapies.
The 25-member Regional Expert Committee on Traditional Medicine for COVID-19 will support countries in collaborative efforts to conduct clinical trials of traditional medicines in compliance with international standards. By pooling expertise within the continent, the Regional Expert Committee will also accelerate the pace and elevate the standards of research, particularly clinical research on new therapies against COVID-19 from traditional medicines.
WHO recognizes that traditional, complementary and alternative medicine has many benefits and Africa has a long history of traditional medicine and practitioners that play an important role in providing care to populations.
As the world races to find treatment and vaccines against the virus, research into traditional and orthodox medicines as potential COVID-19 therapy must be grounded in science, and rigorous clinical testing to evaluate safety and efficacy will be critical.
The Regional Expert Committee will start work immediately. Developing a master protocol to guide countries on clinical trials for COVID-19 and setting the agenda to support Member States will be among its initial tasks.