Nawaal Deane
A company belonging to the Central Energy Fund (CEF) is using taxpayers’ money to test, market and launch an immune booster being tested on people with HIV.
The state oil company CEF owns a subsidiary company, Enerkom, which was established in 1992 to house the patents and technologies of the National Energy Council.
Enerkom’s main focus is research on the oxidative coal conversion process and testing of coal by-products for use in medicine and agriculture.
The immune booster is derived from the oxidation of coal to produce oxihumic acid. Drawing on past research that proves humic acids have healing properties, Enerkom produced these acids, converting it into oxihumate-K. This product has been proven to stimulate the immune system and act as an anti-inflammatory, and is used for the treatment of a variety of other diseases.
Researchers emphasise that oxihumate-K cannot be classified as a drug especially an anti-Aids drug. They say it is a nutritional supplement that can boost the immune system thereby improving the quality of life of HIV-positive people.
“Major clinical testing on 343 patients has demonstrated the non-toxic nature of the product,” says Howard Roberts, deputy general manager at Enerkom. Roberts refused to say where the tests on HIV-positive people have been done, but confirmed it was in an African country.
Enerkom cannot release the clinical results until the trials have been completed. A researcher at Enerkom confirmed that they were very happy with the results of the trials but a cautious Roberts says: “We think that it will act as an immune booster subject to final confirmation.”
Research in South Africa has focused on in-vitro studies in test tubes and shown proof of the non-toxic nature of the product.
Roberts says that clinical tests have shown that the product has no unfavourable side effects.
Enerkom can produce humic acids on a large scale and claims that the coal conversion process is environmentally friendly.
According to Renosi Mokate, CEO of the CEF, the Department of Health is aware of the research. “We have not managed to compare the cost of similar types of nutritional supplements but this process is cost effective,” says Mokate.
Although the CEF approves and funds all the research, Enerkom has the final say on when the product will be launched.
Roberts says that not all the commercial infrastructure at Enerkom is in place to launch the product and the final stage of the trials still need to be confirmed.