DOST-assisted herbal supplement vs.

dengue to be
out mid-August
- A herbal supplement developed through a loan from the Department of Science and Technology
(DOST) will be available by mid-August.

DOST Secretary Fortunato dela Peña, in an interview with the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on
Tuesday, said the supplement was made from "tawa-tawa" (Euphorbia hirta), but instead of drying
the leaves, the manufacturer focused on its extracts.

The supplement was developed by Herbanext, a company that specializes on natural products such
as vegetables and fruits. "They prioritize plants or fruits that are known to be associated with
illnesses based on folkloric literature," he said.

Dela Peña added that Herbanext conducts studies on herbal plants that may cure headache, fever,
problem in urination, among others.

"Tawa-tawa was proven to have anti-viral properties. They (Herbanext) made this into capsule or
tablet," he continued.

The DOST chief emphasized that this is just a supplement, and not a medicine.

Herbanext have yet to conduct clinical trials for this supplement, which means testing this on
humans.

"They're done with the pre-clinical trial. They used a mice to see (the supplement's) effect, and they
found out that it has caused the platelet count to increase," dela Pena shared.

The product was already registered and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a
supplement.

"It is not considered a medicine until it's not tested on humans. A supplement, if you talk about
safety, is something that may not cure but would not cause harm. It is safe (to use)," Dela Peña
explained.

Herbanext's supplement fights the dengue virus, and increases the platelet count. This should not be
used to prevent dengue, he noted.

Meanwhile, Dela Peña confirmed that the DOST spent PHP8.3 million for the equipment used by
Herbanext. He clarified, however, that the equipment was used also to develop other products, and
that the company would return the money.

The supplement can be bought under the brand name Daily Apple.

According to dela Peña, Herbanext sells products under this brand, and indicate the plant used in
the packaging. Thus, buyers should look for Daily Apple, with "tawa-tawa" written on the packaging.

This will be available initially at the Daily Apple stores in Quezon City, Bacolod, Cebu, Davao, and
General Santos. Dela Peña said Herbanext is currently coordinating with other drug stores to make
this product available to more people. (PNA)
Science chief bats for research-based techs to address
dengue problem
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Written by S&T Media Service
Published: 02 August 2019
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In the wake of the mounting reported cases of dengue in the country, Secretary
Fortunato T. de la Peña of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST) pushes
for the use of DOST innovations and products to help in addressing this problem.

“Dengue research and development has always been one of the priority research areas
in the country. This is stated in the Harmonized National Research and Development
Agenda led by the DOST,” said Sec. de la Peña.

“Through the DOST- Philippine Council for Health Research and Development, we
have funded a number of research projects and programs consistent with the multi-
prong approach in the control of dengue that address different aspects such as diagnosis
and treatment,” he added.

In the area of diagnosis, the development of a rapid diagnostic test for dengue is one of
the researches supported by DOST. The kit, called Biotek M, can diagnose dengue as
early as two to three days after the onset of illness.

“This will be very helpful in making the early diagnosis of dengue so that prompt
management can be done to prevent complications,” the secretary explained. “This will
also help decongest the hospitals that are constrained to keep patients suspected to have
dengue confined in the hospital for monitoring until the diagnosis is established.”

Further, early detection can lessen the stress of patients and their relatives, he said.

This diagnostic kit is already available in a number of public hospitals. “We have asked
the technology developer to make it available to the affected areas of dengue in
cooperation with our regional offices and the Department of Health,” Sec. de la Peña
informed.

Aside from the diagnostic kit, the DOST is also funding the clinical trials for the
evaluation of a possible herbal medicine for dengue. Said herbal medicine has shown
multiple mechanisms of action, such as anti-viral activity against the dengue virus. It
can also elevate the platelet levels which is very crucial. As observed in the complicated
cases of dengue, low platelet count causes bleeding and reduction of plasma leakage
which contributes to the lowering of blood pressure among the dengue patients.

The Phase I clinical trial is upcoming. When the clinical trial has completed up to Phase
3, it is ready to be certified and approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
To date, there is yet no available therapeutic medicine for dengue anywhere else in the
world.

According to Sec. de la Peña, the DOST has also supported the “development of herbal
supplements that can help patients affected with dengue.”

Said herbal supplements that include single and combination herbal preparations are
already ready for submission to the FDA, he said.

“These herbs are derived from folkloric use and have passed safety and toxicity
studies,” he informed. “We have requested the technology developers to make this
available at the soonest time possible after satisfying all the regulatory requirements.
We are also coordinating with the FDA regarding this.” (DOST-PCHRD/S&T Media
Service)

Single Herb Capsules - TAWA TAWA (Euphorbia hirta)

Euphorbia hirta, locally known as ‘tawa-tawa’ or ‘gatas-gatas’ is

a small annual herb that is widely recognized in Philippine traditional medicine as a treatment for
dengue and its related symptoms. Generations of folk wisdom, together with years of heavy scientific
research have shown us how tawa-tawa and its active components help in alleviating dengue by
increasing blood platelet count and preventing the multiplication of dengue virus in the body.

Traditionally, whole tawa-tawa parts are boiled in water to produce a bitter drink for those suffering
from dengue. Daily Apple’s Tawa-tawa capsules are proven safe and contain concentrated extracts of
the herb so there is no need to go through the whole hassle of collecting the herb, boiling it, and
enduring its bitter taste.

Daily Apple Tawa Tawa extracts are standardized for flavonoids, which have been found to be
important contributors to tawa-tawa’s healing properties. That means that each Daily Apple Tawa-
tawa capsule has more concentrated dose of the herb’s active components than boiled tawa-tawa
only. For dengue patients or for those who suspect the onset of dengue, take 1-2 capsules 3x daily
until symptoms of fever improve and blood platelet count increases and stabilizes.

FDA Registered Number 4000003953662

Biotek M Dengue Detection Kit
Technology Generator

University of the Philippines-Diliman

Project Lead: Dr. Raul V. Destura
Co-inventors: Joy Ann G. Petronio, Carmencita C. Padilla, Romel Gomez, Ricky B.Vinarao, Kristine
Marie G. Flores, Jesus Emmanuel A.D. Sevilleja, Sharie Keanne Ganchua

The Problem

Dengue is dangerous when not treated early. Based on data from the Department of Health,
131,827 cases of dengue were recorded nationwide in 2017, with most cases affecting children
from 5-9 years old. There were 732 deaths recorded on the same year. The standard test for
dengue, Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test, costs from P7,000-8,000, a cost too high to bear
by the marginalized sector who are the most commonly affected by dengue infection. It also takes
at least 24 hours to know the results.

The Solution

Biotek M is a diagnostic kit which acts as a confirmatory test for diagnosis of dengue infection in
the first 0-5 days of illness, and results would be known in an hour or less. Designed to be used in
hospitals or clinics with minimal laboratory facilities, using Biotek M would mean less admissions
for dengue-suspected cases, therefore saving resources for both hospital and patients. This test
is as efficient but is less costly than the currently available PCR technology used in dengue
detection.

Product Development Stage

The product is already being sold by a spin-off company called Manila Health Tek Inc.

Breakthrough technique eradicates Zika and dengue-carrying mosquitoes — study

Sara Hussein (Agence France-Presse) - July 25, 2019 - 9:52pm

TOKYO, Japan — A breakthrough technique harnessing two methods to target disease-carrying

mosquitoes was able to effectively eradicate buzzing biters in two test sites in China, according to
research.

The mosquitoes targeted are a type that is particularly difficult to control called Aedes albopictus —
more popularly known as the Asian tiger mosquito — which is a major vector for diseases including
Zika and dengue.

The study published last July 18 "demonstrates the potential of a potent new tool," wrote Peter
Armbruster, a professor at Georgetown University's department of biology, in a review of the work.

Researchers harnessed two population control methods: the use of radiation — which effectively
sterilizes mosquitoes — and a strain of bacteria called Wolbachia that leaves mosquito eggs dead on
arrival.
They conducted a two-year trial at two sites on river islands in Guangzhou, where Asian tiger
mosquitoes are to blame for the highest dengue transmission rate in China.

The results were "remarkable," wrote Armbruster: the number of hatched mosquitoes eggs plunged
by 94%, with not a single viable egg recorded for up to 13 weeks in some cases.

And the average number of female mosquitoes — which transmit diseases to humans when they bite
— caught by traps fell by between 83 and 94%.

In some cases, none were detected at all for up to six weeks.

The results were also borne out by a decline of nearly 97% in bites suffered by locals — which in turn
shifted attitudes among residents, who were initially sceptical of the project's plan to release more
mosquitoes into the local area.

Radiation and bacteria

The research builds on two existing methods: radiation-based sterile insect technique (SIT) and
incompatible insect technique (IIT).

SIT works by releasing radiation-sterilized male mosquitoes into an environment to mate with wild
female mosquitoes, reducing the size of the population over time as females fail to reproduce.

But irradiation of male mosquitoes tends to reduce both their mating competitiveness and their survival
rates, undermining the technique's effectiveness.

The IIT method involves a bacteria called Wolbachia. When males infected with it mate with female
mosquitoes that aren't infected, their eggs don't hatch.

The technique doesn't work if the female mosquitoes are infected with the same Wolbachia strain, and
successful mating by mosquitoes that both carry the bacteria undermines the technique by producing
more female mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia that are resistant to the process.

Preventing the release of Wolbachia-infected female mosquitoes is difficult, with sex-sorting

techniques usually resulting in a "female contamination rate" of about 0.3%.

To overcome that, researchers decided to subject their Wolbachia-infected lab-reared mosquitoes to

low-level irradiation, which rendered the females sterile but left the males able to reproduce.

This allowed the team to avoid the onerous sex-screening process and meant they could release
significantly more mosquitoes at a time: in some cases more than 160,000 male mosquitoes per
hectare, per week.

'Striking results'

Lead researcher Zhiyong Xi, a professor at Michigan State University's Department of Microbiology
and Molecular Genetics, compared the technique to "producing insecticide."

"Our goal is to use this technique to build a protected area that is disease vector-free," Xi told AFP.

Armbruster, in a review commissioned by the journal Nature that published the research on Thursday,
said the study produced "striking results."
That the trial "almost eliminated notoriously difficult-to-control vector mosquitoes from the test sites is
remarkable," he wrote.

The results weren't a universal success — populations in areas with more traffic, near construction or
roads, shrank less than those in isolated zones, likely as mosquitoes migrated in from elsewhere.

But Xi said the technique still holds promise if "natural barriers" like highways are used to limit the
arrivals of outside mosquitoes.

And he said it could be used against mosquitoes that carry disease, including malaria.

The next steps will involve developing a "highly effective and practical release strategy" suited for
urban settings," he said.

Read more at https://www.philstar.com/world/2019/07/25/1937946/breakthrough-technique-

eradicates-zika-and-dengue-carrying-mosquitoes-study#dKh6JZ04J4sA66ss.99
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