Claims by the Health Minister Obadiah Moyo that controversial preacher Walter Magaya has registered his HIV treatment product, Aguma, have turned out to be totally false with the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe (MCAZ) saying it is yet to receive an application for official registration of Aguma .
Aguma is a herbal supplement Walter Magaya claims has medicinal properties against cancer, HIV and Aids.
MCAZ spokesperson Mr Shingai Gwatidzo is quoted by the state media saying the process of registering both medicines and a product for human clinical trials was long and thorough.
“There have been some engagements between Prophet Walter Magaya and Ministry of Health and Child Care, however, MCAZ is yet to receive the application for registration of the product in question,” sMr Gwatidzo told the Herald.
He said the process of registering medicines involved submission of technical information detailing development, production, clinical trials and safety data.
Mr Gwatidzo said further information on requirements for safe and ethical conduct of clinical trials involving humans could be obtained from the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe (MRCZ). He said following the approvals, submission of samples for quality control testing was required to confirm that quality and safety issues were met.
Mr Gwatidzo said there was a component of inspection of the manufacturing process, whereby officers from the MCAZ should physically visit the plant where manufacturing was taking place.
“A product can only be considered safe, effective and of good quality after satisfying these minimum requirements,” he said.
MRCZ has not received Magaya’s application to conduct a human clinical trial in Zimbabwe. Magaya received wide criticism a few months ago when he announced during his church service that he had found a cure for HIV and Aids as well as cancer.
He claimed that his product had successfully gone through efficacy and safety trials in India.
The Ministry of Health and Child Care ordered him to stop marketing the product until it goes through local safety and efficacy trials. – state media