Minister summoned in cheap hepatitis treatment case

The Newspaper's Staff Reporter Published January 7, 2019

The complainant said Dr Riaz had discovered a cheap injection for treating hepatitis patients in Pakistan, but he claimed a mafia of multinational companies had implicated him in frivolous cases. ─ File photo

LAHORE: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Mian Saqib Nisar on Sunday summoned the federal health minister and an 11-member committee suggested by Drap on Monday (today) in Islamabad in a matter relating to preparation of inexpensive medicine for hepatitis.

A two-member bench was hearing a public interest case filed by Dr Javed Akram at the Lahore registry of the Supreme Court.

The complainant said Dr Riaz had discovered a cheap injection for treating hepatitis patients in Pakistan, but he claimed a mafia of multinational companies had implicated him in frivolous cases. If the government helped him he could provide the injection for Rs310 to control hepatitis.

The CJP said that they applauded Dr Riaz for discovering the injection and curtailing profits of multinational companies.

Appearing in court, the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) chief executive officer said the authority had suggested names of members to the government to form a committee on Interferon injection –used to treat hepatitis among other ailments -- and research on artificial skin. The government was yet to notify the committee, he added.

The CJP said the court would help solve the matter and remove all artificial hindrances. He said if the government provided subsidy for research and promotion of local medicine in Pakistan, patients could avail cheap medicine.

He also summoned in Islamabad the federal health minister, members of the Drap committee, secretaries of health, finance and information technology, the Higher Education Commission chairman, vice chancellors of Punjab University and University of Health Sciences on the next hearing on Monday (today) and adjourned the case.

Published in Dawn, January 7th, 2019

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Comments (9) Closed

ALI ASAD NAWAZ MALIK

Jan 07, 2019 10:42am

Well done Mr. Chief Justice, at the same time I wonder why it takes a court intervention for the concerned government departments to do their job?

Recommend 0

Dr. Farooq

Jan 07, 2019 10:51am

I have seen an indigenous low cost treatment work within a week in cases of viral hepatitis, causing the blood levels of serum transaminases in hepatitis drop from several thousand units to less than a hundred. Transaminases are SGOT and SGPT (AST and ALT), which are enzymes that leak from damaged liver cells into the blood in hepatitis. This simple treatment consists of a high carbohydrate diet consisting of boiled rice, low protein diet (no red meat, but egg whites, skinless fish or chicken less than 50 grams a day - not fried), and fig leaves cooked by boiling until tender as for spinach (palak). These should be fresh upper middle leaves, not the very new leaves or old large leaves harvested from the fig (angir) tree. A possible mechanism of action is that the enzyme Ficin present in the leaves alters the substance in the virus coat or capsid which enables it to resist the body's immune defenses. Please have the CJP request PIMS to carry out a clinical trial of this method.

Recommend 0

Jan 07, 2019 10:56am

Instead of wasting time and energy, the Chief Justice should ask Dr. Riaz and Dr. Akram to present scientific evidence pertaining to their claim and set up an independent committee of medical experts to evaluate such evidence before moving forward. Health minister and secretaries are not subject matter experts. Let the good old common sense prevail

Recommend 0

Arslan

Jan 07, 2019 11:26am

A classic pattern of authority is to show competence on all issues that it is not responsible for. A more appropriate response is to stay within its area of responsibility and stop grandstanding.

Recommend 0

K Niaz

Jan 07, 2019 12:26pm

If decades later interferon is still touted as the effective treatment for hepatitis C then the research in Pakistan is decades of decades behind latest development. The best way is to look at options to locally produce generic medicines based on the current treatment to reduce/eliminate the viral load. And any local claims for effective treatment should be backed with solid clinical trial rather than personal claims.

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Dr Haroon

Jan 07, 2019 12:30pm

Any new drug has to go through intensive pre-clinical and then clinical trials to ensure its safety and efficacy before marketing. This costs millions if not billions of dollars. Just search for thalidomide (to see what side effects dugs can can cause) that was marketed back in 50s before such toxicology trials were in place. So unless this 'injection' is a locally manufactured copy of some 'small molecule' type drug, its safety and efficacy MUST be ensured.

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Dr Haroon

Jan 07, 2019 12:36pm

On another note, it is mainly because of the expense incurred for preclinical and clinical trials that a drug can be so expensive. A patent for a new drug, normally obtained at Discovery, lasts for around 20 years. But it could take 10-12 years (depending on the type of drug)) betweenery and marketing because it's safety and efficacy has to be established, and the company would have only 8-10 years to make their money, and the demand determines its costs.

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Dr Haroon

Jan 07, 2019 12:38pm

@Dr. Farooq, This is dietary change, not a new treatment.

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Dr Haroon

Jan 07, 2019 12:40pm

@K Niaz, And this is what I assume the esteemed Dr Riaz may have done, instead of a 'new injection' which implies a new drug.

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