The Federal Government has inaugurated an Expert Committee, chaired by Macdonald Idu, a Professor of phytomedicine, to facilitate the evaluation of herbal medicines with a view of finding a local solution to the menace of COVID-19 and other common ailments.
The Minister of State for Health, Olorunnimbe Mamora, while inaugurating the Standing Expert Committee to Develop Protocols for the Evaluation of Herbal Medicines in Abuja, noted that a total of 58 medical practitioners made submissions on claims for COVID-19 in May and September last year.
The Minister said the Committee will screen the claims with a view of identifying the products that could be recommended for clinical trials with the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
Mamora further disclosed that the N10 billion released by Federal Government will be used to assist various groups such as the Institute of Medical Research (NIMR), African Centre of Excellence for Genomics of Infectious Disease, among others, to speed up the local development of vaccines.
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He also said the moribund Federal Vaccine Production Laboratory is being resuscitated through the joint venture agreement between the Federal Government and May and Baker, adding that a similar facility will be established in the Northern part of the country.
“It is in the interest of the country that we have vaccine security, sustainability, that’s what the N10 billion is meant to achieve”, he said.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Health, Abdulaziz Abdullahi noted that the local development of solutions will boost the economy and provide job opportunities.
