Cure for dengue, really? Bengaluru-based lab makes breakthrough

Bengaluru: With the city hospitals overflowing with dengue patients, the disease seems to have no proper cure, except for symptomatic treatment or blood transfusion in worst case scenarios. The Health and Family Welfare department stated that the IT City has already reported 1,150 positive cases till now. However, city-dwellers have been taking recourse to fruits and potions to fight dengue, along with antibiotics. The favourite alternative therapies are papaya leaf soup, pomegranate juice with seeds, kiwi fruit juice, pineapple and neem juice.

But now a Bengaluru-based lab has come-up with a solution for the dreaded dengue in the form of tablets. ‘Caripill’, a botanical pill that helps increase platelet count in dengue patients, has been invented by Bengaluru-based Micro Labs Ltd. It was officially launched in the city on Wednesday.

The people, however, have been using the tablet over the counter for over a month now. The pill has received positive feedback from doctors treating patients with dengue and the lab is confident that the pill can treat patients with other life-threatening disorders that require restoration of blood platelets. “It has helped maintain the platelet count in patients,” said Dr Shankar V., a physician and diabetologist working with Manipal Northside Hospital.

“At present, the popular treatment for dengue is oral consumption of juice crudely extracted from the non-standardised and unhygienic papaya leaves with no clear dosage specified, that could have a detrimental impact on sufferers,” said Dr Nagabhushan K.H., VP-Medical Services, Micro Labs. The lab has conducted an extensive research for over two years and has held clinical trials on 250 patients. The lab claims to have seen positive results with a dramatic decrease in the haemorrhage condition. Besides, none of the patients who are administered the drug so far had to undergo blood transfusion.

“The pill contains a concentrate of papaya leaf extract. The pill has exact dosage specified for use,” Dr Nagabhushan said. “The rising number of dengue cases among children drove us to introduce a paediatric ‘Caripill’ syrup for easy consumption and we are planning to launch it soon,” he said.

Lab representatives said that Caripill has been approved by the Ayush Authority, while a nod from the Drug Controller General of India is awaited.