The Department of Science and Technology – Philippine Council for Health Research and Development (DOST-PCHRD) warns the public against the unauthorized use of the results of the Lagundi study on COVID-19 for marketing Lagundi products.

The University of the Philippines – Manila (UPM), with support from the DOST-PCHRD, conducted the study which evaluated the efficacy and safety of the over-the-counter 600mg Lagundi syrup and tablet formulated through the National Integrated Research Program on Medicinal Plants (NIRPROMP) in treating mild symptoms of COVID-19.

The study showed that the FDA-approved Lagundi products can be safely used for the symptomatic treatment of mild COVID-19. If taken three (3) times a day, the products were found to be effective in decreasing mild COVID-19 symptoms, especially anosmia (loss of sense of smell), and in providing overall relief of discomfort from other symptoms.

The results, however, cannot be used as basis for proving the efficacy and safety of using Lagundi against COVID-19 in any form or product other than the one used or tested during the trial. Clinical trials validate the efficacy and safety of specific formulations using a specified dose for use against a specific disease. Any product that has therapeutic claims would require successful clinical trials and approval from the Philippine Food and Drug Administration (FDA) before marketing to the public.

“Our study only focused on evaluating the NIRPROMP formulation of the Lagundi syrup and tablet for mild COVID-19,” project leader of the Lagundi clinical trials Dr. Cecilia Maramba-Lazarte says. “Accordingly, we have not endorsed any other Lagundi product aside from these, and any other product claims separate from what we studied are not affiliated with the project team, nor  UP-Manila,” she added.

The DOST-PCHRD likewise reminds the public to be critical of misleading product claims. “The study showed that Lagundi may be  beneficial to mild cases of COVID-19,” DOST-PCHRD Executive Director Dr. Jaime C. Montoya says. “Despite this, we’d like to emphasize that the results of the clinical trials on Lagundi against COVID-19 cannot be utilized by any product other than the one used in the trials without the conduct of similar clinical trials. We encourage the public to be on the lookout for misleading product claims,” he added.