Can the leaf extracts of papaya possibly be a legitimate solution to the declining levels of blood platelets among dengue patients? A Bangalore-based pharmaceutical company Micro Labs Limited claims it has recently launched a drug ‘Caripill’ that promises to increase the blood platelet count of dengue positive patients.
The real danger for dengue positive patients is when their platelet count starts to plummet due to the virus. The dengue virus is known to directly impact the production of blood platelets in addition to having a destructive effect on them. Usually, the normal platelet count among healthy individuals varies between 1.5 to 4.5 lakh platelets per micro litre of blood.
Among dengue patients, it is not uncommon to see platelet count falling from 1.5 lakh to one lakh or even less in hours. The traditional method to treat such conditions is to replenish the platelets through blood transfusion. According to doctors, platelet count of less than 20,000 is life-threatening for dengue patients.
“This May, we had received approval from AYUSH for Caripill. The drug has to be taken orally in the form of tablets for five days, which will definitely improve platelet levels of dengue patients. We advise that a dengue positive patient with a blood platelet level of 1,50,000 should start taking our drug immediately,” says Dr. Kasture Prabhu of Micro Labs.
The company officials said that the drug is based purely in natural extracts and therefore the approval was sought from the Department AYUSH.
Published - September 30, 2015 12:00 am IST
