There is a relatively new treatment for sickle cell being produced in Nigeria by an American company called Nicosan. It is based on traditional Nigerian plant based medicinal practices for the treatment of sickle cell disease.I'm always skeptical about drugs that claim to 'cure' sickle cell but at the same time I don't want my skepticism to over-ride a good treatment. So I'm putting this out there for your input. Especially to my peeps in Nigeria. If you've heard about Nicosan, have used it or know someone that has, please let me know.
It has been tested through phase IIb clinical trials and found to be highly efficacious. Phase III trials have yet to be completed however it was approved for sale in Nigeria based on phase IIb and toxicity studies which showed it to be completely non-toxic.
It is available in Nigeria without prescription and the cost is about $23/month. If you have a contact in Nigeria who can get a supply and send it to the U.S. that is possible. If you physician is aggressive enough there are special dispensations where unapproved drugs can be imported to the U.S. on a compassionate usage basis.
Here is a link to the company and product website. Please read the clinical trial info.
http://xechemnigeria.com/products.htm
This isn't an endorsement. It's just something I've stumbled upon so if you want to try it out, use your own judgment. As for me, I'll just stick to Arginine for right now.
7 comments:
Haven't heard from anyone about Nicosan yet, but then again, i haven't asked..but i will and let you know. Proud of ya!!
did u tell ur friends u had sickle cell or tell the whole school knew cause i have it and ppl hate me cause im so so skinny and that's not in right now and they think im a freak too with the yellow eyes i don't want to end up all alone in school even ny best friend is kinda embarrased about me and she is the only one who knows. i have nicosan
Sicklers Call for Reduction in Price of Drug
By Kunle Aderiokun in Abuja, 12.27.2007
An appeal has gone to the Federal Government to subsidise the price of Nicosan, the efficacious drug for the management of sickle cell anemia, manufactured by Xechem Pharmaceuticals Limited, as it is being done in the case of drugs for HIV/AIDS, to give relief to the sufferers of the disease.
Speaking recently at a press conference, the coordinator of the sickle cell group, Ms. Uloma Ukoha, noted that the drug is the only hope of the sickle cell sufferers and appealed to government and well-meaning Nigerians to come to the aid of the group by subsiding the price of Nicosan by 100 per cent.
She suggested that Federal Government should heavily subsidise the procurement of sickle cell drugs much as it has done in the case of HIV patients pointing out that children between the ages of 0-5 years could be given free sickle cell drugs to prevent infant mortality in the country.
According to her, “I have been living with sickle cell for over 30 years with pains. Luckily for us, NICOSAN has come to alleviate our pains. We have not had any drug before NICOSAN. Over 7,000 people live daily on NICOSAN and it is helping us tremendously. NICOSAN works and I am a living testimony.
We have a drug that can make us happy. It is our ray of hope”.
She contended that any attempt to kill the drug would amount to killing many sufferers whose lives have depended so much on the drug.
As such, she pleaded with governments at all levels to give them financial assistance to buy the drug that costs between N3, 000 and N3,500 for a month’s supply.
Speaking earlier, Managing Director of Xechem Pharmaceuticals Nigeria Limited, Mr. Iretiolu Oniyide, while debunking claims in a media report that the quality of the drug was deficient, argued that Nicosan stood ahead of other drugs for the treatment of sickle cell disease.
Noting that it was a formulation by pharmaceutical researchers which Xechem Pharmaceuticals had the privilege of manufacturing, he said the drug is strong, efficacious and getting better every day. He added that the drug has passed all the tests conducted by National Food and Drug Administration Control (NAFDAC).
He stressed that, at no time, did NAFDAC ordered stoppage and distribution of the drugs as alleged by a magazine publication, adding that instead, the regulatory authority had consistently tested the drugs and found it effective and commended NAFDAC for their commitment to the ideals of Xechem in the matter.
To him, the allegations reported in the said newspaper were “by-products of frustration. The report is not true. It is baseless. We ensure quality in our production processes. Samples of NICOSAN were selected by NAFDAC and they met standards. We have won award as the sickle cell management drug for the year,” he said.
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http://64.233.167.104/search?q=cache:oWHoeTVR1fMJ:www.thisdayonline.com/nview.php%3Fid%3D98987+Iretiolu+Oniyide+nicosan&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=27&gl=ca
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http://www.thisdayonline.com/news.php?w=on&q=xechem
United Nations Economic Commission For Africa
Book Of Abstracts
Science With Africa Conference
March 3-7, 2008
page 30
Evaluation of Niprisan (Herbal Medicine) for the Management of Sickle Cell
Anaemia
Charles Wambebe and Hadiza Khamofu, International Biomedical Research in Africa, Abuja,
Nigeria, wambebe@yahoo.com, Joseph Okogun, Nathan Nasipuri and Karynius Gamaniel,
National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development, Abuja, Nigeria.
About 70% of all sickle cell anemia (SCA) subjects reside in Africa, estimated at over 12 million. The prevalence of SCA is estimated at over 2% while infant mortality is about 8% and survival rate of SCA babies in rural areas by five years of age is about 20%. These statistics indicate that SCA is probably the most neglected (and sometimes forgotten by health authorities) serious public health disorder with serious mortality and morbidity rates in Africa. The objective was to undertake pre-clinical and clinical assessments of a herbal extract vis-à-vis management of sickle cell anemia using Good Laboratory Practice and Good Clinical Practice principles respectively. In Africa, there is no standard treatment for sickle cell anemia, only palliative management is generally available. In view of this situation, most SCA subjects use herbal medicines. NIPRISAN is a standardized extract from four medicinal/food plants: Piper guineenses seeds, Pterocarpus osun stem, Eugenia caryophyllum fruit and Sorghum bicolor leaves. Short term toxicity study indicated that NIPRISAN was safe in laboratory animals. Bio-activity guided fractionation show that vanillin and aromatic aldehydes may be the bioactive moieties. NIPRISAN reversed sickled red blood cells and
protected them from being sickled when exposed to low oxygen tension. NIPRISAN dose-dependently delayed polymer formation of haemoglobin S. NIPRISAN induced 85% increased solubility of deoxy haemoglobin S. The in vivo efficacy study was undertaken at Children Hospital of Philadelphia, USA. Histological examination of lungs of control Tg transgenic mice carrying human sickle haemoglobin showed entrapment of massive numbers of sickled cells in alveolar capillaries. NIPRISAN significantly cleared the lungs of sickled cells. Furthermore, NIPRISAN induced profound effect on the survival time of Tg mice under hypoxic conditions (p<0.0001). The phase II clinical data indicated that all the subjects benefited from NIPRISAN with no serious adverse effect. About 80% of the subjects did not experience any crisis during the study (12 months). The subjects experienced significant reduction in hospital admission while attendance at school profoundly increased. Furthermore, there was no evidence of kidney or liver damage. NIPRISAN has been patented, licensed to an American company, registered and being manufactured at Abuja for global market.
http://www.uneca.org/sciencewithafrica/content/swa_book_of_abstacts-en.pdf
This story is about a new herbal medicine named HEMOXIN (NICOSAN), that eliminates the painful effects of Sickle Anemia. The "Orphan Drug," title refers to the status of the medicine that the FDA sees as serving a small population. There are some advantages to this status, such as fast track reviews for clinical trials. However raising money and fighting off bigger companies that see Ayurvedic medicine as a threat, has continued to hamper the development of herbal based medicines.
Hemoxin is still awaiting FDA Approval.
2005 Film: Nicosan Develpment
http://current.com/items/88850284_the_orphan_drug
hey,
my youngest sister lives in nigeria and she is currently on the medication. my dad said she hasnt had a crisis in the 6 months that she has been taking it, which is an great improvement for her. i am a sickler too but i havent had a crisis in about 4 years but i am going to take it, just to prevent.
I was diagnosed as HEPATITIS B carrier in 2013 with fibrosis of the
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treatment! This treatment is a breakthrough for all HBV carriers.
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