WHO working with Kenya on herbal medicine policy

http://www.angolapress-angop.ao/noticia-e.asp?ID=470317

Nairobi, Kenya, 09/07 - The Kenyan Health Ministry is collaborating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to develop appropriate national policies on traditional medicines for the country, official sources said here.The collaboration will also involve the strengthening of Kenya`s national medicine regulatory authority to assure safety, efficacy and quality of medicines used in the country.WHO Kenya country director, Peter Eriki, said this would include developing appropriate frameworks, systems and structures for effective regulation.The UN health agency will also assist in strengthening the country`s human resource capacity through training and exchange programmes as well as promoting access to and sharing of regulatory information.This move comes in the wake of recent claims by Kenyan researchers that herbal medicine could provide a breakthrough in the treatment of HIV/AIDS.The researchers, who met last week at the Kenya Medical Research Institute in Nairobi, noted that traditional medicine was gaining credence globally, with 25 percent of all modern medicine said originating from plants used by 80 percent of people in sub-Saharan Africa.But the researchers acknowledged that more research was required before drawing definite conclusions on the efficacy of herbal remedies for HIV.