After surviving malaria as a teenager, Joel Felix Ochom is helping develop Maisha, a plant-derived antimalarial syrup at Makerere University. With preliminary research completed and clinical trials authorised but yet to begin, the next challenge is establishing whether the potential treatment is safe and effective in humans.
When Joel Felix Ochom was 14, a bout of malaria nearly claimed his life. Years later, the experience would become part of the inspiration behind Maisha, a plant-derived antimalarial syrup he is helping develop with researchers at Makerere University.
His journey from malaria patient to drug researcher has earned him recognition at home and abroad. Yet, beyond the awards and the promise of a locally developed medicine, a crucial question remains: can Maisha safely and effectively treat malaria in humans?
For Ochom, the project represents an opportunity to investigate whether traditional knowledge about medicinal plants can contribute to the search for new treatments for a disease that continues to affect Ugandan families.
When malaria became personal
Ochom’s experience with malaria at 14 left a lasting impression. He also remembers how his parents used a bitter local herb when he suffered from the disease. Those experiences influenced his interest in investigating plant-based remedies as possible sources of new medicines.
‘I grew up in a community watching this illness that can actually be treated, claim lives, and drain family finances. I admired being part of the solution to this,’ he says.
His interest went beyond using a traditional remedy. He wanted to investigate whether plants used in traditional medicine contained compounds that could be studied and developed into a pharmaceutical product.
After joining Makerere University to study pharmacy, Ochom brought together fellow students to explore possible approaches to malaria treatment. The project grew into a research effort involving several collaborators, including Dr Rajab Kalidi and Dr Mahmood Nakugoba. Their work eventually produced Maisha, a syrup whose name is derived from the Kiswahili word for life.
The syrup formulation also reflects an interest in making the potential medicine easier to administer, particularly to patients who may struggle with bitter herbal preparations. However, making a product palatable is only one consideration in drug development. Its safety, appropriate dosage and effectiveness must also be established.
From traditional knowledge to the laboratory
The Maisha project draws on Uganda’s plant diversity and the traditional knowledge of communities that have used medicinal plants for generations. The researchers have sought to investigate that knowledge through laboratory testing rather than assume that a traditional remedy is necessarily safe or effective.
The team evaluated 16 different drug formulations before identifying one that performed best. The selected formula combines three plant extracts and was taken forward for further investigation against Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite responsible for the most severe form of malaria.
The researchers assessed the formulation against drug-sensitive and drug-resistant parasite strains. They also conducted cytotoxicity investigations to examine whether the candidate could harm human cells.
‘Further safety investigations involved animal studies at Makerere University’s Central Laboratory Animal Research Facility, while other laboratory assessments were conducted with the involvement of the Uganda Virus Research Institute,’ Ochom says.
The team has reported encouraging findings from these early investigations, including no treatment-related abnormalities in the animal studies described in its research material. However, laboratory activity against malaria parasites does not establish that a product can treat malaria in humans, while animal studies cannot by themselves demonstrate safety in people.
The research has also required financial and personal commitment. Ochom says the team initially lacked funding but later received support from Makerere University’s Research and Innovation Fund. He has also had to balance research with his academic schedule, both of which demand considerable attention. The funding helped support the research as the team worked through the preliminary stages of developing the potential medicine.
For young researchers, such support can be important in sustaining investigations that require specialised facilities, testing and other resources.
The science still has questions to answer
Prof Moses Ocan, a pharmacologist at Makerere University, says Maisha has demonstrated antiplasmodial activity, meaning it acts against malaria parasites in the tests conducted so far. However, he cautions against making broader claims before further evidence is available.
‘It is true it has anti-plasmodial activity. It kills the parasites, but the claim about resistance and the ability to kill the parasites at all stages is not yet established,’ Prof Ocan says.
His caution highlights the distinction between a promising laboratory finding and a proven treatment. Researchers must establish a candidate medicine’s safety, appropriate dosage and effectiveness through properly designed clinical studies involving human participants. They must also assess possible side effects and determine how the product performs in comparison with existing treatments.
Ochom says the team has received THA1479, a notification authorising it to begin clinical trials for Maisha. However, the trials have not yet started. The authorisation marks an important step in the development of the potential treatment, following the preliminary investigations conducted by the researchers. The next stage will be to evaluate Maisha in humans to establish its safety, appropriate dosage and effectiveness against malaria.
Until clinical trials have been conducted and the findings demonstrate its safety and effectiveness, Maisha should not be presented as a proven alternative to recommended malaria medicines. For Ochom and his collaborators, the next challenge is to move beyond demonstrating activity against parasites in the laboratory and establish whether the formulation can offer a safe and effective treatment.
Recognition beyond the laboratory
Ochom’s work has attracted attention through innovation and entrepreneurship competitions, giving him opportunities to present his research beyond the university.
In February 2025, Makerere University announced his receipt of an award in Pakistan for his malaria-drug innovation. He also won Uganda’s Global Student Entrepreneur Awards competition, earning the opportunity to represent the country internationally.
His other recognitions include the Heroes in Health Award from the Ministry of Health, the GSEA Africa Award in South Africa in 2025, Sergey Vykhodtsev’s Lessons from the Edge Award, the Medal of Excellence Award and the Prize Summit Award.
For Ochom, the recognition has personal significance because of his experience with the disease he hopes to help address.
‘The awards are rewards for my hard work in finding a cure for malaria, a disease that has persisted for centuries and is still claiming lives. I used to suffer from malaria. Getting awards for this drug means a lot and it is such a privilege to me,’ he says.
The awards have brought visibility to his work, but the scientific value of Maisha will ultimately depend on the evidence generated through further research. Recognition can draw attention to an innovation; it cannot substitute for clinical testing.
Building capacity
Ochom’s ambitions also touch on a wider question: how can Uganda use its natural resources and scientific expertise to contribute more substantially to pharmaceutical development?
A product developed and manufactured locally could create opportunities for research, employment and the cultivation of medicinal plants. It could also contribute to efforts to strengthen the country’s pharmaceutical manufacturing capacity.
The Maisha team has identified local sourcing as a potential advantage of its approach. If the product proves safe and effective and can be manufactured consistently at a competitive cost, it could contribute to these ambitions.