A PhD student in the Department of Chemistry, University of Ilorin, Misitura Arowona, has developed a drug that promises to be potent in the treatment
A PhD student in the Department of Chemistry, University of Ilorin, Misitura Arowona, has developed a drug that promises to be potent in the treatment of tuberculosis, an infectious disease that usually attacks the lungs. The University of Ilorin Bulletin, on Monday, stated that the student, who is being supervised by Prof. Joshua Obaleye, former Dean, Faculty of Science of Unilorin, is currently undergoing a sandwich fellowship at the Faculty of Science of The Maharaja Sayajirao University (MSU), Vadodara, India.
The metal attached anti-TB drug developed by Misitura Arowona, has improved the efficiency of the anti-TB drugs compared to normal drugs that are consumed globally. It said that Nigeria was among the 14 high burden countries for TB, TB/HIV and multi-drug resistant TB. It is ranked seventh among the 30 high TB burden countries and second in Africa and the problem of TB in Nigeria has been made worse by the issues of drug resistant TB and the HIV/AIDS.
It is estimated that about 407, 000 people in Nigeria have TB in a year. Also quoting a Professor of Chemistry, Rajendrasinh Jadeja, of Sayajirao University, India, the Nigerian scholar used metals like ion, cobalt, copper and zinc to prepare the metallodrugs. “The drugs, which have been developed, include ciprofloxacin HCl, ofloxacin, pyrazinamide and moxifloxacin HCl. Presently, there is no metal-based anti-TB drug available in the market.”
