HANOI, The Reuters World Service : The
United Nations said on Wednesday it would contribute $500,000
to a project in Vietnam which will study the effectiveness of a
herbal medicine for drug addiction.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said the
medication known as HEANTOS had been applied effectively as a
therapy in Vietnam, where there are an estimated 185,000 addicts.

But its claims still needed to be reviewed, verified and
substantiated in compliance with international standards before
its use on a wider scale and outside Vietnam could be authorised.

``Further research on HEANTOS is critical as drug abuse is one of
the most pervasive social problems facing countries throughout
the world,'' UNDP Deputy Resident Representative in Hanoi
Nicholas Rosellini said in a statement.

The project, which will be carried out with the Johns Hopkins
University School of Medicine and the National Institute of Drug
Abuse in the United States, was launched as a major
herointrafficking trial entered its final day in Hanoi.

The UNDP said that since 1991 more than 3,000 Vietnamese
patients mainly opium and heroin addicts had been treated
successfully with HEANTOS for withdrawal symptoms.

HEANTOS, which is composed of various plants and other
ingredients found in Vietnam, could bring cost reductions in
treating addicts all over the world. REUTER@

[Copyright 1997, Reuters]