DRDO’s Herbal Drug for Leucoderma

• 25 Jun 2019

Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has developed a herbal drug 'lukoskin' for treatment of Leucoderma.

• Leucoderma is a skin and auto-immune disorder also called vitiligo.
  Autoimmune disorders occur when the immune system attacks the body's own tissues and organs.

World Vitiligo Day 2019

• Every year, June 25 is observed as World Vitiligo Day to raise awareness about the disease.
• The theme for World Vitiligo Day 2019 is ‘The Quality of Life of a Vitiligo Patient’.

Significance

• Present remedies of vitiligo-like allopathic, surgical and adjunctive are either costly or single molecule based, with a very low level of efficacy and develop side-effects like a blister, edema, and irritation in the skin.
• Lukoskin, available in ointment and oral liquid form, has seven herbal ingredients having properties such as skin photosensitizer, anti-blister, anti-irritation, antiseptic, wound healing and copper supplementing properties, while the oral dose has been formulated to check the emergence of new spots.

Vitiligo or Leucoderma

• Vitiligo is a skin disease in which pale white patches start forming on the skin, due to lack of melanin (a pigment in the skin).
• It is neither contagious (i.e does not spread from getting in direct contact with the affected person) nor life-threatening.
• Genetic conditions or stress-induced situations are more prone to the occurrence of disease.
• Leucoderma patients are also vulnerable to inflammation in the iris, loss of hearing and sunburn.

Symptoms

• Vitiligo commonly occurs in people in their twenties; however, it can occur in any stage.
• People with autoimmune diseases, such as hyperthyroidism are more prone to it than those who don’t have any autoimmune diseases.

Facts

• The worldwide incidence of leucoderma has been reported at 1-2%.
• In India, its incidence is around 4-5%.
• In some parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, its incidence is as high as 5-8%.
• Leucoderma (skin disorder) is considered a social stigma in India where people confuse it with leprosy (a contagious disease caused by bacteria).