An herbal supplement may show promise for patients ravaged by a co-infection of tuberculosis and HIV, according to a Ukrainian study.

For two months, forty patients with terminal stage HIV/TB who were visiting a free clinic specializing in tuberculosis received either tuberculosis drugs alone, or a combination therapy that included both the tuberculosis therapy and a botanical-based supplement.

The researchers reported that those who took the combination therapy were 50 percent less likely to succumb to the diseases, in addition to seeing clinical improvement in TB symptoms. The control group suffered 12 deaths, and only one patient exhibited marked improvement.

According to Volodymr Pylypchuk, scientific director of the Ukrainian company that developed the therapy, the findings are significant because his country “has the highest prevalence of HIV/TB co-infection in Eastern Europe,” similar to South Africa, where results of the study were presented.

Worldwide, tuberculosis is the leading killer of those infected with HIV, according to Centers for Disease Control statistics, and one-third of those living with HIV have also contracted tuberculosis.