By Gail Momblan/Philippine News Agency
ILOILO CITY — Twenty-eight standardized herbal drugs formulated under the Comprehensive Drug Discovery Program or “Tuklas Lunas” Program of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) are up for pre-clinical and clinical tests this mid-year.
“We are doing formulation studies together with our pharmacists hopefully by the middle of this year we would have 28 formulated standardized herbal drugs ready for pre-clinical and clinical testing,” Dr. Amelia Guevara, former DOST Undersecretary for Research and Development said in a press conference Tuesday.
She said researchers started the formulation sometime in 2010 but pursued it in 2013 when project funding was released.
The formulations were passed from one laboratory to another as those plant extracts found active by chemists were passed to pharmacists for the formulation, she said.
Guevara said the formulations are targets to become anti-cancer, anti-diabetes, anti-inflammation, and anti-hypertensive.
Dr. Jonel Saludes, Associate Vice President for Research and Global Relations of the University of San Agustin in this city, explained that formulation is “preparing plant extracts into something that can be taken or applied.”
“We are preparing something in a form that could be administered or it could be for topical applications,” Saludes said in a press conference.
“We are very hopeful that in a year or two there are several standardized drugs in the market,” she said, adding that the present administration wants many drugs to be reported by 2022.
Guevara said the department lacks researchers as most researchers are overloaded with some projects and administrative works.
Despite this, she assured that the department is ready to fund researches and good science.
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