Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), is requesting assistance to facilitate clinical studies on herbal medicine. Adeyeye made the call during an interview with Newsmen in Lagos on Friday. She stated that the request for the agency’s financial stability was part of NAFDAC’s strategic goal to assure the safety, quality, and efficacy of herbal products.
Adeyeye said that by conducting clinical trials on herbal medications, “NAFDAC aims to provide scientific evidence on their safety and efficacy, ultimately protecting public health and promoting the development of herbal medicine in Nigeria.” She claims that herbal medications are effective, but the government cannot approve their use without clinical research.
The NAFDAC director stated that the expense of performing clinical studies was prohibitively expensive, necessitating funding to allow the agency to conduct clinical trials on herbal treatments that could assist solve some of the country’s health issues. She stated, “NAFDAC is one of the few regulatory agencies in the world with a well-structured method of approving herbal medications.
“In Nigeria, clinical trials are extremely expensive, and without the help of the government or private organisations, it will be difficult to conduct clinical trials of herbal medications. “Our database has thousands of herbal medications that have yet to undergo clinical trials.
“I was raised with Agbo (herbs), and I did not die; I know that herbal medication is quite beneficial, but others may have experienced one or more issues as a result of taking herbs. “We don’t know what the harmful component is or how much should be taken, which is why clinical studies and extensive study must be conducted before any herbal medicine is approved for use.
However, the director-general stated that the organisation would initiate clinical trials on herbal medications as soon as grants or finances were available. “Part of what we’re doing now is looking for grants. I’ve already discussed it with the National Assembly, and they’ve promised to help us.”
Adeyeye underlined the need of starting clinical trials for herbal medications, noting that even testing a few herbal drugs would be a huge accomplishment. “If we can get five herbal medicines in our national formulary, we will have achieved a lot,” she told the crowd.
According to reports, this strategy acknowledges the difficulties and limits of conducting clinical trials while also identifying the potential benefits of verifying the safety and efficacy of herbal medications.
