Professor Patrick Ogwang, inventor of the COVID-19 treatment supplementary drug known as Covidex has told Mbarara University of Science and Technology-MUST to back off his innovations.
After attaining approval of the National Drug Authority (NDA), Prof. Ogwang, has been using his company Jena Herbals Uganda Limited to produce Covidex. However, this came with resistance from Mbarara University which claims the intellectual property rights of the product.
In his June 14 letter, Prof. Celestino Obua, the Mbarara University vice-chancellor, stated that Covidex is fully owned by the university adding that Jena Herbals Limited should desist from manufacturing the product unless the university permits.
Prof. Obua noted that Covidex was developed by the University staff, including Prof. Ogwang, under Pharm-Biotechnology and Traditional Medicine Centre thus vowing to block Jena Herbals Uganda Limited from undertaking mass production of their product.
Now, Omongole and Company Advocates acting on the instruction of Jena Herbals Uganda Limited says the university is illegally using their products to solicit funding from the Ministry of Science, Technology, and Innovation.
Through the law firm, Prof. Ogwang says the university is not only clinging on Covidex but also illegally using two other products of his company including Jena Ds Xtra, which is used to treat dry cough, sore throats, and rhinitis, and Artemune, a supplement for HIV patients.
“The contract between Mbarara University of Science and Technology and the ministry of science, technology, and innovation is formed on three Jena herbal products yet our client was neither involved nor informed. We deem this an illegal and fraudulent action by the University and urge the university not to go ahead with the said action without authorization of our client or Professor Ogwang personally,†the notice from Omongole and Company Advocates reads in part.
Jena herbal further warns that should the university keep a deaf ear over the matter, it will be held property rights.
This notice to Mbarara University comes hours after George William Alenyo, a lawyer, filed an application seeking High court orders to compel Ogwang to remit all monies collected from the sale of the popular supplementary treatment drug to the consolidated fund, claiming he’s not the lawful proprietor of Covidex.