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Andhra Pradesh-Hyderabad
Test on new ORS yields good results
By Our Special Correspondent
HYDERABAD, DEC. 5. A new oral rehydration solution (ORS) which can replenish salts and glucose in patients suffering from diarrhoea and perhaps serve as a sports drink has been tested with good results at the Ronald Ross Institute of Tropical and Communicable Diseases.
The solution has been tested on 60 patients each in the 5-12 and 25-60 years age group in a study jointly conducted by Osmania General Hospital and Iowa University, U.S.A., and funded by Pepsi Cola. The ORS was tested for safety, efficacy and taste.
Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Dr. Satish S. Rao, of Iowa University, Dr. Bajrang Pratap, Head, Department of Gastroenteritis, OGH, and principal investigator, and Prof. Sudha Ramana, Superintendent of the Institute and co-investigator, said the solution proved to be totally safe with no complications while its taste was approved by patients.
As for its efficacy, a volume of data was being analysed by investigators and the results would be available before March 2002. However, there was evidence to show that 85 per cent of cases of mild to moderate diarrhoea could be treated with low sodium. This was a significant outcome since the ORS created by the World Health Organisation and hailed as `the discovery of the century' for treatment of cholera, had high sodium content.
They said studies had shown that 85 per cent of patients with diarrhoea could be treated with oral fluids and only 15 per cent needed intravenous fluids. In the U.S., `Pedialyte' was the only approved solution for diarrhoea but it did not taste good. On the other hand, `Gatorade', a sports drink with high sugar solution tasted good but its salt content was not enough to treat diarrhoea.
Therefore, it was decided to prepare a solution which had the beneficial qualities of both with Pepsi providing Rs. 35 lakhs for research. It would have a proper balance between salts, sugar and electrolytes and a precise level of concentration. However, efficacy of the pilot study would be determined on a wider scale before the `New Gatorade', as the ORS has been tentatively named, was introduced into the market.
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