LETTER | Potential of ketum: How can Malaysia benefit?

LETTER | Recently there have been calls to export ketum leaves by several parties due to its lucrative commercial value.

At the outset, the Centre for Drug Research (CDR), Universiti Sains Malaysia tend to not agree with this proposal for several reasons.

We at the CDR have received generous financial support from the government to conduct research in ketum under the Higher Education Ministry, Higher Institution Centre for Excellence (HICoE) programme.

CDR over the last decade has published more than 100 scientific papers (a Google search would indicate this) and is currently working towards drug development of ketum for the treatment of addiction and pain management.

CDR started with pre-clinical studies in 2009, and in 2020 completed the first human study on ketum’s effectiveness on pain.

We have been collaborating with Yale University and the University of Florida in the US, and Erlangen University in Germany as part of this initiative.

CDR recently engaged with the Institute of Medical Research, Health Ministry to discuss how we can conduct human clinical trials.

Being an indigenous plant to Malaysia, we should aim to produce a medicinal product from ketum rather than selling the leaves for a lesser value.

Let’s not repeat the previous mistake of exporting cheap commodities and importing a finished product at a much higher price.

We should aim to spur national research and a commercial ecosystem that would bring much higher value to the nation.

We, therefore, are of the opinion that Malaysia in line with its Shared Prosperity Vision 2030, should embark on working towards producing a value-added medicinal product from ketum.

The writer is a professor and director of the Centre for Drug Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.