The first phytopharmaceutical drug, derived from plants, has been approved for clinical trials by the Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) as a potential treatment for coronavirus.
ACQH, is a plant extract found in the tribal belt of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Jharkhand, had earlier been used for anti-dengue medicines.
The human safety study of AQCH has already been completed and the drug has been found safe at the recommended dose for Phase II study.
The Sun Pharma commenced the second phase clinical trial on AQCH and the clinical trial will be conducted across 12 centres in India in 210 patients.
The treatment duration for patients will be 10 days and the results of the clinical trial are expected by October 2020.