Skip to main content

Process Matters: Magaya's New HIV Cure:


Twitter in Zimbabwe informally known as Zwitter, was abuzz with discussions on the new HIV cure discovered by PHD ministries leader, prophet Magaya. Although some have welcomed the news and even urged the ministry of health to carry out tests and hopefully also embrace the drug, the reality is unfortunately that missteps were made in the process of bringing the drug from discovery to marketing. In this article we compare the real proper path followed by a drug from the test tube up until it reaches the market with that described by prophet Magaya for his new drug. Some of the missteps are glaring. Take a look!

How does a new medicine move: From test tube to the market

Step 1: Drug Discovery

The first step in the process would be the discovery of the drug. In the case of prophet Magaya that would correspond to his prophetic discovery of the herb.

 Step 2: Pre-Clinical Research 

This phase involves basic laboratory testing to verify that the drug is safe. the drug may at this stage be sued on animals. Safety is very important because drugs must not harm the persons taking them but in the case of the new cure this part is not well described neither did the journalists who attended request this information.

 Step 3: Clinical Testing

In this phase the drug is tested on human paying particular attention to safety and efficacy.  Evidence for this stage is best collected using the randomized control trial. This design features random assignment of participants into at least one intervention group and a control group, administration of the test drug to the intervention group and standard of care drug or placebo to the control group. By comparing outcomes between control groups evidence is generated for safety and efficacy of the drug. In the case of prophet Magaya we did not hear about the existence of a control group. Although we heard about the improvement of CD4 in two weeks, there was no comparative. To make valid conclusions on the efficacy of the drug more persuasive evidence is needed.

 Step 4: Approval Stage

All the evidence collected in stage is submitted to a competent drug regulatory body, the Medicine Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) in our case. The purpose is for professionals there to thoroughly review the evidence and determine if it should be approved or not. In the case of prophet Magaya we only heard about plans that the ministry of health will test the new drug. However one can never be sure as the ministry of health issued a statement today (29/10) distancing themselves from the drug. They even urged patients to continue taking their ARVs.


 Step 5: Marketing And Distribution

It appears that this is the only stage that prophet Magaya started with this stage. In the normal scheme of things this should be the last stage.

 Conclusion

While those that welcome the drug as it was introduced, charge that those opposed are suffering from an imaginary sickness called 'pull him down' syndrome we have made clear that the process of introducing was flawed if not non existent. We urge members of PLHIV, advocacy groups to stay clear of this new drug. Its not only that the drug may pose side effects such as renal failure or other internal organ failure but it may place substantial financial constraints on patients in return for no real benefits. The ministry of health has also already released a statement urging patients to stick to their usual ART medication.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Prophet Magaya Discovers HIV Cure

PHD ministries leader prophet Magaya says he has discovered a cure for HIV. Speaking at a service cum press conference the PHD leader announced to his congregants that he has discovered Aguma which cures HIV. Foreign journalists from Zambia, South Africa, Swaziland and Ghana were among those who got a chance to ask the prophet questions. In this article we comment on the questions that were asked. They included question about the, composition of the drug, cost, safety and efficacy of the drug.  What Is Prophet Magaya's HIV Cure? The HIV cure of prophet Magaya is composed of herbs. According to him two years ago, he prophetically discovered one herb from Zimbabwe and another from Mozambique. They are said to have been shown to contain phyto-chemicals which fight HIV. Prophet Magaya added his cure is also effective against cancer. When asked about the exact identity of the components of the drug Magaya refused to reveal exact identity. In his defence he mentioned that it was...
Post a Comment
Read more

How I got conned by a Zimbo Bolt driver in JNB

 I am a Zimbabwean transited through Johannesburg in the past few days and got conned by Zimbo Bolt taxi driver. As I had a layover of  about 18 hours it was clear for me: First I needed to get a taxi from the airport to Ecohotel, sleep over night and find my way back to the airport around 10:00 on 11 Jul 2021. Having succeeded at the first task, I asked the reception how to get a taxi to take me to the nearest mall so I could have a decent breakfast at the Mugg & Bean (zvangu zvekuda zvinhu). She told me that I had to download the Bolt App which would locate a genuine, and reasonably priced ride. The app is slightly complex, collecting both telephone and bank details. With the help the receptionist, a slim lady of warm spirits, I managed to identify the number belonging to the sim card I had purchased from the airport. Then I also entered the details for my Visa card. In few minutes I was waiting for my ride which was being driven by a verified driver, whose I immediately...
1 comment
Read more

Half time is hardly time to hang one's boots: ZimElection 2018

The elections have come is all that one can say regarding the Zimbabwe harmonized elections of 2018. The 'and gone' part is hard for the main parties involved. Zanu pf have accepted victory with president tweeting that he was humbled by the support of the zimbabwean people. Several foreign politicians including Juluis Malema, Cyril Ramaphosa, Lungu of Zambia have already tweeted their congratulatory messages. However Zanu pf aligned varakashi on social media have not yet moved on. They are still engaged in a seemingly more heated rakashing than before. Making one wonder why. Are they  somehow aware that for the MDC and for the majority of Zimbabweans it is not over so they are somehow trying to run a counter intelligence campaign? Are they more aware of the challenges that riddled this election that they can see how easily what they say they have may be reversed soon? There are many more questions one could ask but what remains is that even Zanu varakashi are not hanging their ...
2 comments
Read more