PESHAWAR: Khyber Medical University has finalised arrangements for conducting clinical trials of an indigenously developed herbal medicine aimed at treating cutaneous leishmaniasis (CL), a painful and disfiguring skin disease that has seen a significant rise in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Preparations for the final testing of this herbal ointment, developed by two scientists from KP, have been completed, disclosed Dr Khalid Rehman, director public health KMU.

`The clinical trial, scheduled to last around six months, will involve three groups of patients undergoing different treatment procedures to evaluate the medicines effectiveness,` Dr Rehman informed this news agency.

`The treatment modules include standard practice of administering glucantime injections, photodynamic therapy (PDT) in collaboration with Irnum Hospital and application of the locally prepared herbal medicine,` he said.

Dr Rehman said trials would be held at a hotspot of CL infection area, preferably Malakand district, to expand its coverage scope to Bajaur and Mohmand districts, where a large number of CL cases were reported. APP