NAFDAC begins testing of four virus remedy drugs

NATIONAL Agency for Food Drugs and Administration Control (NAFDAC) has started working on coronavirus potential remedy drugs submitted by Nigerians, its Director-General (DG) Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye said yesterday.

The DG explained that the submissions were made after the agency called for expression of interest for the COVID-19 related medicines from researchers and practitioners.

The NAFDAC DG, who spoke on a television programme, said the four applications submitted would undergo “due diligence”.

The DG also said instead of spending huge amount of money to get the COVID Organic from Madagascar, she would prefer such money to be spent on herbal remedies produced in Nigeria.

Also yesterday Minister of Health Dr. Osagie Ehanire, said  the Federal Government is conducting a study on the efficacy of some drugs to treat patients who tested positive to Covid -19 in five centres in the country.

He said: “As I said before, there is a study being done on the efficacy of some drugs by about five centres in our country and hydraulic chloroquine is one of them. When the result comes out, I will share with you.

Prof. Adeyeye said: “I made a call for people to submit their application and I believe we have about three or four now and we are going to expedite the processing because it takes a while for us to go through the laboratory testing and what not but I have already given the directive to expedite.

“So, where we are right now is just to make sure that the information submitted is okay and by the end of the week, we may be sending these samples to the lab after we must have gone to inspect the site where the products are made because we don’t want a product that somebody will take and the person will start vomiting.

“So, we will go and inspect the site to make sure that whatever sample we are going to get must have been prepared in an environment that will not make the drug to compromise the health of the user.”

On the criteria that a remedy must meet before it is presented to NAFDAC as a possible cure or drug, she said: “If somebody says he or she has a remedy for COVID, first of all, we want to know the history of the plant or the family the plant belongs to, background information on the botanical characteristics of the plant, we will also want to know whether the plant has been used for anything before because sometimes, we use one plant for several diseases and the usage will be different for a particular disease.

“We will also ask for any written or published document about the plant because the plant may not come from Nigeria and it may be available in other climes. So, we want to ensure that we get enough information and once that application is submitted with the information, then we will start the process and part of the process involves inspecting where the medicinal product was prepared to be sure that it is not going to compromise the health of the people.