Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), has called for financial support to facilitate clinical trials on herbal medicines.
Speaking in an interview on Friday in Lagos, Adeyeye emphasized the importance of the agency’s financial stability as a key part of its strategic plan to ensure the safety, quality, and efficacy of herbal products.
She explained that conducting clinical trials would enable NAFDAC to provide scientific evidence on the safety and efficacy of 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,” Adeyeye stated.
Challenges of approving herbal medicines without clinical trials
According to Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, herbal medicines are effective, but the agency cannot approve their usage without conducting clinical trials.
She highlighted that the cost of conducting these trials is enormous, necessitating support to enable NAFDAC to carry out clinical trials on herbal drugs that could address some of the nation’s health challenges.
“NAFDAC is among the few regulatory bodies in the world that has a well-structured means of approving herbal medicines,” Adeyeye stated.
The need for financial support to conduct clinical trials
She explained that clinical trials in Nigeria are very costly, and without support from the government or private institutions, it would be difficult to conduct trials on 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 experienced issues or complications from taking herbs.
“We don’t know the toxic components or the exact quantity that should be taken, and that is why clinical trials and extensive research must be conducted before approving any herbal medicine for usage,” she emphasized.
NAFDAC to begin clinical trials once grants are available
The Director-General assured, however, that the agency would begin clinical trials on herbal drugs once grants or funds were 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 have promised to support us,” Adeyeye stated.
She emphasized the importance of initiating clinical trials for herbal medicines, noting that conducting trials on just 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.
