Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Fortunato de la Peña on Wednesday said that based on clinical trial, lagundi has contributed to the recovery of patients with mild symptoms of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

The DOST-supported clinical trial involved 278 patients from seven quarantine facilities. Half of them received lagundi as an adjuvant therapy.

“All of them have recovered. But those who received lagundi gained back their sense of smell faster,” he said in a public briefing.

The clinical trial aims to determine if lagundi can decrease the number of patients who progress from mild to moderate or severe cases. Loss of smell is among the apparent symptoms of Covid-19.

De la Peña believes that because of lagundi’s pharmacologic properties, it could be a suitable choice for the symptomatic treatment of Covid-19 patients.

While those who were given lagundi became free from the symptoms faster, de la Peña acknowledged that both groups had an average of eight days to recover.

“There is no significant difference in time to recovery between those who took lagundi and the other group. In terms of safety, no serious adverse events were reported,” he said.

De la Peña earlier said that no participant has progressed to moderate or severe Covid-19.

Meanwhile, he said researchers will be finalizing if lagundi have reduced the viral load in the participants’ blood.

If they get good results, he said they are expecting that the same clinical trial can be pursued among patients with moderate symptoms. (PNA)