Local diabetes drug passes standards test

The government has cleared developers of a locally-made diabetes herbal medicine to take the acclaimed cure through clinical trial after it met the initial safety requirements.

In a July 6, 2021 letter from the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Monica Musenero, said the laboratory analysis report for the medicine dubbed SD2018 indicated that it is a promising treatment. 

“The report is good and shows evidence of safety of SD2018 and success stories for cancer and diabetes management,” she said in a letter addressed to Mr David Ssenfuka, the local herbalist who developed the medicine. 

She said Presidential Scientific Initiative on Epidemics (PRESIDE) will provide technical support in writing protocol for clinical trial and mobilisation of resources for the medicine to undergo required steps.

Mr Ssenfuka told journalists at Makerere University yesterday that a team from PRESIDE met them in November last year and they have agreed to engage medical experts from Makerere University and Mulago Hospital to further research and development on the medicine. 

“We hope that these discussions with researchers from Makerere and Mulago will result into the development of this medicine to the required international standard,” he said, adding that they are seeking Shs21b from government for clinical trials and establishing a modern manufacturing facility. 

Rising burden of diabetes
The news about this discovery comes at a time when the incidence of diabetes is rising in the country. 
Dr William Lumu, the Uganda Diabetes Association (UDA), said the overall prevalence of diabetes in the country is at 1.4 percent while that of impaired fasting glucose [pre-diabetes] is at 2.1 percent. 

“Much as the survey showed low prevalences of IFG and diabetes; there are pockets of higher prevalences, for example, a recent survey from rural Eastern Uganda showed a diabetes prevalence of 7.4 percent and pre-diabetes 8.6 percent,” he said. 

The expert said the main age of people having diabetes in Uganda is 35 years compared to high-income countries where the majority of people living with diabetes are over 60 years.

“Diabetes presenting early at 35 years is a very big concern not only in medical terms but also in the economic sense as this means that it affects the segment of the population that is most productive and energetic something that affects our economy directly and indirectly,” Dr Lumu said, calling for focus on prevention.

Health experts recommend cutting sugar and refined food intake, working out regularly, drinking water as a primary beverage, losing weight and quitting smoking as ways of reducing the risk of developing diabetes. But some types of diabetes are believed to be caused by hereditary factors and so may not be prevented. 

How the medicine was discovered 

Mr David Ssenfuka, the local herbalist, said he discovered the medicine after learning the basics of natural medicine from his grandmother. 

“I grew up with my late grandmother Leonnia Nalongo Namuganga Nakiwala, who nurtured me into the practice of traditional medicine and I researched and discovered the herbal formula with medicinal properties referred to as SD-2018 which I use to treat people suffering from various body diseases,” he said.

He said he started treating people suffering from uncontrollable appetite, obesity, body trembling, uncontrollable urination, and those with cancerous wounds with the herbal formula and those patients reported complete relief of their infirmities.

“Gradually, I discovered by default that some of those that orally took my herbal formula as medicine but were previously medically certified to suffer from diabetes and different types of cancer were able to obtain complete relief of such diseases in their bodies,” Mr Ssenfuka said. 

The herbalist said he later consulted and engaged the Natural Chemotherapeutic Research Institute of the Ministry of Health who carried out analysis of his medicine and revealed that the herbal medicine formula possessed ingredients known to have medical properties.