The Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, seeks support to facilitate clinical trials on herbal medicines.
Adeyeye made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Lagos.
She said the call for the agency’s financial stability was part of NAFDAC’s strategic plan to ensure the safety, quality, and efficacy of herbal products.
Adeyeye told NAN that by conducting clinical trials on herbal medicines, “NAFDAC aims to provide scientific evidence on their safety and efficacy, ultimately protecting public health and promoting the development of herbal medicine in Nigeria.”
According to her, herbal medicines are effective, but the agency cannot approve their usage without clinical trials.
The NAFDAC boss said the cost of conducting clinical trials was enormous, hence the need for support to enable the agency to conduct clinical trials on herbal drugs that could help to address some of the nation’s health challenges.
She said, “NAFDAC is among the few regulatory bodies in the world that has a well-structured means of approving herbal medicines. “In Nigeria, the reality is that clinical trials are very costly. Without the support of the government or private institutions, it will be difficult to do clinical trials of herbal medicines.
“We have thousands of herbal products in our database that are yet to go through clinical trials. I was brought up with Agbo (herbs), and I didn’t die; I know that herbal medicine is very effective, but others might have had one issue or complications from taking herbs.
“We don’t know the toxic component and the exact quantity that should be taken and that is why clinical trials and a lot of research have to be done before approving any herbal medicine for usage.”
The director-general, however, assured that the agency would begin clinical trials on herbal drugs as soon as grants or funds are made available. “Part of what we are trying to do now is to look for grants. I have already discussed it with the National Assembly and they promise to support us.”
Adeyeye emphasised the importance of initiating clinical trials for herbal medicines, stating that conducting trials on a few herbal medicines would be a significant achievement.
“If we can get five herbal medicines in our national formulary, we will have achieved a lot,” she said.
NAN reports that this approach acknowledges the challenges and limitations in conducting clinical trials while recognizing the potential benefits of validating the safety and efficacy of herbal medicines.
