MCAZ warns against using Gammora as HIV drug

MCAZ has warned against the use of unregistered drugs

Zim Now Writer

The Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe has warned people against taking Gammora, a drug that was developed by Zion Medical, an Israel-based tech company, which claims it can cure HIV.

Zamora is being sold at Sam Levy’s Village in Borrowdale and is going for US$4 150 with claim claimed that it can totally cure HIV within 21 days, with the user stopping taking Anti-retroviral treatment 14 days after taking the drug.

Zion Medical recently claimed that Gammora was tested on nine Ugandan patients at the Dr Ronald Bata Memorial Hospital in Entebbe.

An agent dealing with the drug said they had not registered it with MCAZ because it was not manufactured locally.

“It has been confirmed by the world drug agency. Remember our treatment is taking 30 days to be cured. You are not allowed to take alcohol during the treatment period and keep your body healthy and strong by eating in time, we are 100 percent you will be permanently cured,” said the agent.

MCAZ spokesperson Davison Kaiyo said they had since engaged the police in line with its mandate of protecting public health.

Earlier, MCAZ had issued warnings on Twitter against purchasing unregistered drugs. “The mandate of the Medicines Control Authority of Zimbabwe is to protect public health by ensuring that medicines and medical devices on the market are safe, effective and of good quality. Thus, all herbal medicines should be registered by the MCAZ. Gammora is currently not registered and not approved for sale in Zimbabwe.”

“As MCAZ we have noted the continued advertising and marketing of such products, especially on social media. We urge members of the public to desist from buying such products which have not gone through any clinical trials and therefore their safety and efficacy has not been proven,” said MCAZ.

The medicines control body said it is mandated with protecting public and animal health through enforcing adherence to standards by manufacturers and distributors and as such, perform its statutory mandate against the perpetrators of these criminal acts.

This comes at a time that Zimbabwe has a cumulative total of 1,3 million people living with HIV while 1,2 million of these are on anti-retroviral treatment.

Zimbabwe is one of the few African countries to have reached the 90-90-90 UNAids targets for 2021.

The country’s targets for 2025 are that 95 percent of people with HIV will know their status, 95 percent of people with HIV who know their status will be on treatment and 95 percent of people with HIV on treatment will be virally suppressed.