North Korea claims it has discovered a wonder drug that can be used to treat AIDS, Ebola and MERS infections.
The Korea Central News Agency announced Friday that Pugang Pharmaceutical Company had formulated a vaccine called "Kumdang-2", which is derived from ginseng grown together with rare earth elements.
The news report makes the claim that the injectable drug is "highly effective" in fighting and treating the MERS virus and other infectious illnesses.
It was also claimed in the report that there were people injected with the wonder drug who then became immune to the diseases. It claims those people did not contract any infectious illnesses even after travelling to diseases-stricken areas.
According to the Washington Post, the Korean news agency released a photo of the medicine, which appears to be packaged in glass vials and placed in a gold box.
In addition to AIDS, MERS and Ebola, North Korean scientists claimed that Kumdang-2 could treat different types of cancer. However, they did not give any details on which types of cancer or any details of any medical studies that back such claims.
Dr. Jon Sung-hun, director of Pugang Pharmaceutical Company, said that the injection is a "strong-immune activator" and has the reputation of preventing various malignant outbreaks.
The drug also has a website where it cites drug studies and tests performed on HIV-positive patients in Africa.
According to the website, Kumdang-2 was first developed in 1996 and then used to combat the bird flu outbreak in 2006.
Moreover, the official page also claims that the drug received positive feedback from each drug trial participant, with 56% of them reporting that they had been completely cured, and the 44% of others saying they had observed improvement in their conditions.
Kumdang-2 dosing must be given gradually, the website describes. One or two ampules should be given on the first day and then gradual increase of dosage will follow.
The website also states that if patients feel completely recovered after taking the vaccine, treatment can be discontinued. In contrast, if there is no feeling of recovery, patients can extend the period of treatment.
Outside of the North Korean agency reports and the website, there has been no other kind of official verification from other scientists or experts that the drug has been so amazingly successful.
