World's first anti-dengue drug made by Pinoys may soon be available

After over seven years of study and research, the first anti-dengue drug in the world may soon be released and become available in the market.  And, it is made by Filipinos.

"It's not a vaccine, it's not a herbal supplement. It is a drug that has an activity against the virus," Dr. Rita Grace Alvero said in a Friday report by Ivan Mayrina on 24 Oras.

"So parang sinasabi natin na pag ininom ito ng pasyente, gagaling 'yung kanyang signs and symptoms. So i-cure niya talaga yung dengue," she added.

Alvero said that the product was created to help the public.

"Nung ginawa namin 'to, ang naisip talaga namin para tumulong so 'yung cost dito would be less than the cost ng ginagamit ng isang pasyente kung siya ay may mild na dengue pag siya ay mag co-consult sa clinic or mas lalo siyang mas mababa kaysa sa mga pasyente na nag-punta sa hospital para magpa-confine," Alvero said.

Dengue cases in the country rose by 86% from 222,849 cases recorded in January 1 to November 30, 2018 to 414,532 cases in 2019.

Casualty cases also rose from 1,122 in the same span of time in 2018 to 1,546 in 2019.

The rising dengue cases in the country inspired Alvero to create a counter drug in 2012. Alvero then led a Filipino team to complete the product.

According to the report, the drug is made from tree herbs or endemic plants, which are native to the country.

In the first phase of testing, they were able to prove that the drug was safe and there were no seen side effects.  However, it will undergo more tests for the next six months to determine its effectiveness.

Despite this, Alvero maintained that the drug is 100% effective against dengue even for patients who already have complications.

For its part, the Department of Health (DOH) also expressed their belief in the drug's potential to solve the dengue problem in the country.

"Kasi hindi naman nila itutuloy to the phase 2 and 3 clinical trials 'yan kung hindi mag-mukhang maganda yung resulta. Mukhang very promising naman talaga siya," DOH undersecretary Eric Domingo said.

Sponsored by the Department of Science and Technology, the research is also a part of the Tuklas Lunas program of the agency which aims to create new drugs for diseases often afflicting the Filipinos. —Joahna Lei Casilao/LDF, GMA News