Egyptian Minister of Health Ismael Sallam has approved the registration of a new medicine for bilharzia discovered by a local scientist, reported Al Ahram on Saturday.
Egyptian scientist Ahmed Masoud, the professor of gastroenterology and liver diseases at Al Azhar University, came up with the new medicine, the first to be discovered and manufactured entirely by Egyptian experts.
Bilharzia, a disease caused by parasitic worms, infects 200 million people worldwide, and can cause extensive damage to the internal organs.
The approval was based on a report by the new medicine control committee, which consists of prominent authorities in this field.
The committee endorsed the new medicine after it reviewed several scientific reports issued by five major research centers entrusted by the committee with testing the medicine on patients, including a field test in a village in Dkahliyyah District.
The test results showed that the new medicine was 95 percent effective in the treatment of the disease, after three specified doses.
The committee reached its conclusion after reviewing previous reports and discussing the matter with its member Dr. Shukri Hunter, professor of gastroenterology and liver diseases at Al Qasr Al Aini Hospital responsible for the evaluation of the medicine.
The medicine is extracted from plants and has been licensed as a food additive by the US Food and Drug Administration – Albawaba.com
