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‘Vernolac’: Ayurveda Commissioner General instructs to stop all forms of advertising
View(s):By Kumudini Hettiarachchi
Halt the commercial advertising in any form including on TV of ‘Vernolac’, a high-level Ayurveda official has instructed, hot on the heels of a Sunday Times expose last Sunday.
‘Vernolac’, supposedly a herbal nutraceutical, has been produced by the Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IBMBB) of the University of Colombo and is being touted as “helping to control & eliminate cancer stem cells”. With the Ayurvedic Registration No. AyuTech/02/01/PB/22/1412 it was being marketed by FADNA Life Science.
“We have sent three letters – one to the FADNA company which is marketing and advertising the product and also to the Vice Chancellor of the University of Colombo and the researcher involved,” said the Commissioner-General of Ayurveda, Dr. Dammika Abeygunawardena on Thursday afternoon.
He said that the Technical Panel of the Department of Ayurveda would re-look at the ‘Vernolac’ file when it meets next month (in April).
When the Sunday Times went back to the FADNA website this week it found a watered down version of what had been publicized before.
The website stated, “……Developed with utmost precision and care at the Institute of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of University of Colombo, Vernolac is a testament to the power of combining modern science with the wisdom of traditional medicine……….This innovative, Nutraceutical product is crafted to target and control cancer stem cells, and the activity was proven in invitro conditions.
“……Embrace the healing potential of Vernolac by incorporating it into your daily routine. For optimal results, take two capsules, twice a day, before meals. We recommend taking your doses approximately 30 minutes before breakfast and dinner to maximize absorption and efficacy.”
The Sunday Times in its article headlined ‘Concerns over alleged cancer-fighting product developed by Colombo Uni’ on March 24, reported that the Consumer Affairs Authority (CAA) was scheduled to call a meeting in the first week of April of all those involved with regard to ‘Vernolac’.
This had followed the CAA being copied on a letter dated February 5, 2024, sent to the Vice Chancellor (VC) of the University of Colombo about this product, by the Sri Lanka Medical Association (SLMA), the Ceylon College of Physicians (CCP), the Sri Lanka Association of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics (SLACPT) and the Sri Lanka College of Internal Medicine.
These professional medical associations had expressed concern and requested scientific evidence to support the therapeutic claims of anti-cancer properties.
Many experts pointed out that in “modern science” whenever therapeutic claims are made proper animal studies as well as Clinical Trials with human participation should have been conducted.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Clinical Trials are carefully designed, reviewed and completed and need to be approved before they can start. People of all ages can take part in Clinical Trials, including children.
There are 4 phases of biomedical Clinical Trials, states the WHO. They are: Phase I studies usually test new drugs for the first time in a small group of people to evaluate a safe dosage range and identify side effects.Phase II studies test treatments that have been found to be safe in Phase I but now need a larger group of human subjects to monitor for any adverse effects.Phase III studies are conducted on larger populations and in different regions and countries and are often the step right before a new treatment is approved.Phase IV studies take place after country approval and there is a need for further testing in a wide population over a longer timeframe.
Last week, the IBMBB researcher concerned, Prof. Sameera Samarakoon, stated that ‘Vernolac’ was a “nutraceutical” based on a traditional herbal formulation. The research processes followed extensive literature reviews and laboratory testing followed by animal testing. No animal testing data had been published. No Clinical Trials with human participation had been done.
A proposal to conduct Clinical Trials had been submitted in February (last month) to the Ethics Review Committee (ERC) of the Faculty of Indigenous Medicine, University of Colombo, and was being processed, the Sunday Times was told.
The marketing of ‘Vernolac’ had begun in July 2023 (last year).
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