Development of low-cost, low-tech medicine

Project background

Congo has the highest disease burden in the world for malaria, HIV/AIDS, diarrhea and respiratory infection, together accounting for almost 50% of the Years of Life Lost in Congo (http://www.healthdata.org/congo).

For the treatment and prevention of these diseases, the Congolese government is largely (90%) dependent on external resources and then still modern medicine is only available to a fraction of the Congolese population (±10% for Malaria, ±25% for AIDS, see: UNAIDS_Factsheet and WHO World Malaria Report).

It is therefore crucial that the Congolese government gains access to cheap and effective medicine to cure or prevent malaria, AIDS, diarrhea and respiratory infection. To ensure a steady supply chain and increase availability to the population, production of this medicine is ideally local, low-cost and low-tech.

The initiative

The production of medicinal-grade essential oils requires the production of standardized, uniform crops. With scientific support from GH Medical and Green House DRC the Stain Hunters Foundation aims to develop and provide affordable and natural medicine to those who need it most.

As a first step we aim to develop a cannabinoid-based anti-malaria stick. Similar to the use of chap-sticks the medicine can be applied directly to the skin once a mosquito bite has been detected. The formulation is intended to boost the innate immune system and kill the malaria parasites before they can reproduce.

Once a new potential medicine has been formulated we intent to subject this to rigorous, large scale clinical trials. These clinical trials are organized in collaboration with leading hospitals and universities for each disease indication.

Future needs

The development of medicine is expensive and required years of continued investment. Please help us and donate for the continued development of new low-cost, low-tech medicine for those that need it most!