Mojisola Adeyeye, director-general of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), on Tuesday, said she believes that Nigeria’s herbal medicines may be able to cure COVID-19.
Speaking during an online news conference, she said that they have a lot of potentials and it is time to translate the research of herbs into products of proven safety and efficacy, for the benefit of our people.
However, she warns that until a clinical trial is done in a scientific manner, no herbal medicine manufacturer can claim cure or effectiveness to treat COVID-19 associated symptoms.
“There is no cure for COVID-19 yet, any claim of cure must be subjected to clinical trials following an approved clinical trial protocol,” she stated.
The director-general further said that the agency In March 2019, inaugurated the Nigerian Herbal Medicine Product Committee (HMPC) to bridge the gap often created between traditional medicine practitioners and researchers.
According to her, the COVID-19 pandemic has created an opportunity and the agency has been encouraging traditional medicine practitioners to submit their herbal formulations for evaluation. We also developed guidelines on how to register herbal medicine online and the labeling of the product.
“The agency has received about 40 applications for the approval of herbal formulations for the treatment of COVID-19 from researchers in the country.
READ ALSO: NAFDAC says Chloroquine only effective for early stage of COVID-19 infection
“Forty herbal formulations were currently undergoing review to ensure their safety for use. If not well researched, herbal medicine could kill fast.”
“Prof. Maurice Iwu’s application for approval of herbal medicine for the management of COVID-19 is also part of the 40 applications we are reviewing for safety.
“We use an animal for safety test to ensure the formulation will not kill anybody, “she said
Coronavirus: Why Nigeria’s rice handouts aren’t going down well
