“Hope, Hype, and Headlines: The COA 72 Confusion We Didn't Need”
A few years ago, my aunt swore by a herbal concoction she kept in an old Fanta bottle. She called it her “miracle mix.” Anytime she sneezed, coughed, or even just felt unlucky, a capful would do the trick. To this day, I’m still not sure what was inside—but she believed in it like scripture.
So when news started flying around recently that COA 72, a Ghanaian herbal product, had supposedly been approved for clinical trials as an anti-HIV drug, I had flashbacks. Because in Ghana, once people believe in something, especially if it’s “natural” or locally made, it's very hard to convince them otherwise.
That’s why the FDA’s disclaimer felt both necessary and sad at the same time. They basically had to step in and say: “Hold up. We haven’t approved COA 72 for any HIV clinical trials. Please, stop spreading false hope.”
Honestly, I wasn’t surprised. We've seen it before—how easily misinformation goes viral. One person hears something, twists it a little, adds “they said on TV,” and boom—WhatsApp groups light up like Christmas. By the time the actual facts show up, people have already made up their minds. Or worse, stopped taking their real medication.
In my opinion, and I say this with some caution, the issue isn’t that COA 72 exists or that research isn’t happening. It’s the rush to crown it as a miracle cure before proper testing has even started. Science takes time. Testing, re-testing, approval stages, peer reviews—it's a long, boring process. Not nearly as exciting as “local man discovers cure for HIV.”
But here's the thing: when we bypass that process, even with good intentions, it can cost lives. Real ones. People might stop their antiretroviral therapy thinking COA 72 is enough. And that’s a gamble we can't afford.
I’ve noticed this trend lately—our deep hunger for homegrown heroes makes us cling to every bit of promising news, especially in health. And I get it. We want our own solutions. We want to believe our traditional medicine holds answers the world has ignored. And sometimes, they do! But belief isn't enough. We need evidence, too.
(Also, side note: can someone please tell media houses to stop running half-verified health stories like it's breaking news? It's exhausting.)
Look, I’m not here to bash COA 72. Maybe it is something special. Maybe one day, after all the trials and testing, it will be part of a breakthrough treatment. That would be amazing. But until then, we can’t let excitement replace truth. Especially not with something as serious as HIV.
So now that the FDA has made it clear—no approval, no trials yet—the question becomes:
Can we learn to balance our hope with patience? Or are we still going to let rumors run faster than reality?