SHAMEFUL FOR NIGERIA TO IMPORT COVID-19 DRUGS FROM MADAGASCAR -PHARMACISTS
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| Pharm. (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa (m) President, Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN). |
The Pharmaceutical Society
of Nigeria (PSN) has berated the Nigerian health authorities for its pan to
import the controversial COVID-19 herbal tea produced by Madagascar for the
treatment of the virus.
This was contained in a
release signed by the Society’s president, Pharm. (Mazi) Sam Ohuabunwa OFR,
MON, NPOM, FPSN.
According to a release
which was made available to chasideho.com,
the Society said it received the news of the planned importation of the herbal tea by
the government of Nigeria with “utter disbelief”. It noted further that while
in principle the body would not mind the Nigerian government importing any new drug that is proven to cure COVID-19
or indeed any other disease for which there is so far neither the capacity, nor
the technology to produce locally, it was totally appalled that Nigeria was
considering spending scarce foreign exchange to import “coal into Newcastle”.
“The Pharmaceutical
Society of Nigeria (PSN) has received the news that the Federal Government of
Nigeria is about to import a herbal concoction called COVID Organics (CVO) from
Madagascar with utter disbelief. While in principle we would not mind Nigerian
government importing any new drug that
is proven to cure COVID-19 or indeed any other disease for which we have
neither the capacity, nor the technology to produce locally, we are totally
appalled that Nigeria is about to spend scarce foreign exchange to import ‘COAL
INTO NEWCASTLE’,” the statement said.
The Society noted that even
if the government was not required to pay for this, it considered it thoroughly
disgraceful that a country that should be the leader of Africa, with the
largest GDP would allow itself to be dragged this low. Nigeria, PSN maintained,
has about 174 Universities (43 Federal, 52 State and 79 private), 20 Faculties
of Pharmacy and about 69 Federal-Funded Research Institutes (including National
Institute for Pharmaceutical Research & Development and the National Institute
for Medical Research) while Madagascar has only 6 Universities, 1 Faculty of
Pharmacy and 9 Research Centers!!!
It therefore wondered why Nigeria
with some of the best scientists (Pharmaceutical, Medical, Biochemical,
Biological etc.) in the world that have done so much work on natural and herbal
medicines, would ignore those human assets and look the way of Madagascar for a
solution that it could find locally.
“Nigeria has developed a
pharmacopeia of natural and herbal products and has one of the richest flora
and fauna - potent sources of phytomedicines. Since the outbreak of the
COVID-19, a number of them have raised their voices that they have herbal and
natural products that can be used to treat or manage COVID-19. Some have
patents. Many herbal companies and producers have announced specifically that
they have herbal formulations that can do what this ‘inven-tion’ from
Madagascar can do.
“We have raised our voices
severally that the Federal Government should review these claims and help put
them through clinical evaluation as most of these producers cannot afford to
conduct clinical trials. We have recommended that a portion of the nearly 25
Billion Naira donated/allocated for the COVID-19 pandemic should be dedicated
for local research and development. But our Government has remained essentially
silent only waiting to participate in WHO sponsored or mandated trials. We have
been told that Nigeria is partici-pating in the WHO solidarity trial, but
nothing on trying our own inventions and formulations.
“Now we want to import
COVID Organics. from Madagascar to try? Why are we like this? If the world can
sup-ply us synthetic and chemically-sophisticated medicines which we apparently
lack the technology to pro-duce, why must we wait for the World to supply us
herbal formulations which we can easily make and which we have similar
products,” the statement further stressed.
The body this urge the
federal government to save Nigerian Pharmaceutical Scientists and other
scientists from the shame of having the country import and try herbal remedies
which God has given the country in abundance and some of which grandfathers and
grandmothers have used for ages.
“Let us try our own local
formulations before we try COVID Organics or any other imported remedy. Every
well-meaning nation has been in a race to find cures, remedies and other
medical supplies used for COVID-19, while we seem to wait for other nations to
solve our problems. There is much talk but little action. This dependency
mentality needs to change and now is the time. We must seize this opportunity
to look inwards, build confidence on our abilities, competences and
re-orientate our national economic philosophy from import dependency to export
driven. And Nigeria can beat India and China in the production and export of
herbal products if anyone is willing to lead us down this part,” PSN appealed.
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