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NAFDAC Promises To Improve On Herbal Medicine Products For Global Acceptance
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has pledged to ensure herbal medicine products improvement to enable global acceptance.
The pledge is contained in a statement signed by the agency’s Director-General (D-G), Prof Mojisola Adeyeye, and issued to newsmen on Sunday by NAFDAC’s media consultant, Mr Olusayo Akintola.
Akintola stated that Adeyeye made the promise in a message to commemorate the 2023 International Traditional Medicine Day, celebrated every Aug. 31.
The D-G commended the efforts of herbal medicines manufacturers across the country for their resilience.
She noted with pride the development of several herbal formulations and their progress from clinical trials stage to approval stage by NAFDAC.
Adeyeye said that the guidelines for the Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP), in herbal medicine production had been prepared by the agency.
According to her, NAFDAC is working on a series of trainings for practitioners to get accustomed to the guidelines.
She said officers of the agency would commence vigorous inspections of facilities, to ascertain the level of preparedness of the herbal practitioners in the business after the training.
According to her also, NAFDAC will monitor and ensure compliance with the guidelines after the training, and step down knowledge of the guidelines to the more than 614 herbal medicine facilities nationwide.
She said this was imperative to sanitise the sector as the agency could not enforce rules on herbal medicine practitioners that had not been trained.
The D-G explained that the facilities had been divided into zones, and the agency’s personnel across the federation would be deployed for the exercise.
She said that the strategy would also apply to practitioners in all other zones of the country, stressing that the deployment of NAFDAC personnel in each zone for the job would reduce cost for the agency.
The D-G disclosed that the stakeholder’s training would start with Lagos, which had more than 317 facilities,
She said after the training, the herbal practitioners would be given some few weeks to get ready for the inspection visits by NAFDAC personnel.
Adeyeye warned that any herbal practitioner that did not meet the agency’s standards would have the facility either shut down or placed on hold.
She noted that the agency was mostly worried about hygiene in herbal medicine practice, and so was training and counselling owners of the facilities visited to change their filling process.
She identified capsule filling as one aspect of their operations that was posing a big challenge to NAFDAC, as most herbal medicines were in capsule or syrup form and they did not have automated filling machines and were using the manual method which was not safe.
She therefore, warned that by the end of this year, the agency would not register any company without the semi-automated or automated capsule filling machines.
She noted that many Nigerians were using herbal medicine, and that the earlier the standard was raised, the better for the country.
Adeyeye disclosed that University of Lagos was establishing a manufacturing facility to enable all practitioners who did not have funds for filling automation use the facility at an affordable and reduced price.
“Herbal manufacturing GMP requires that the personnel be qualified, and the building be constructed to specific standards.
“The floor, walls, and roof must be clean, smooth, and impervious to moisture.
“All these are required to make contamination impossible as the guidelines emphasised the need for hygiene and also how the premises should be.
“We want a building that will make contamination impossible, the inspectors from the agency will be specific about how the equipment is placed to avoid cross contamination.
“In manufacturing, personnel are the greatest agents of contamination to products, the machines should be well placed to allow free flow of movement of staff”, she said.
She promised that the agency would find out how practitioners sourced and stored their raw materials and finished products.
The NAFDAC boss, however, expressed delight that three herbal product manufacturers were being awaited to conclude the clinical trials on some medicines.
She encouraged practitioners to present pilot study results for evaluation, saying that if found satisfactory, they could move to the larger study and later granted approval for full registration.
According to the D-G, people react differently to different drugs, hence the need for a larger number of samples for the study in the larger phase three of the clinical trials.
The Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has begun the celebration of Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary with a Juma’at service where prayers were offered for the progress of the state and Nigeria.
Governor Fubara, who advocated for peace and unity of Nigeria during the prayers on Friday at the Rivers State Central Mosque, Port Harcourt, indicated that without peace, the accelerated development of Nigeria will remain in a limbo.
Governor Fubara, who was represented by Alhaji Abdurrazaq Diepriye, therefore urged citizens to remain patriotic.
According to him, “Allah has brought us this far. Without peace, we can not have progress and economic development. I call on all citizens irrespective of creed or tribe to remain patriotic.”
He thanked President Bola Tinubu for restoring peace in Rivers State while also using the forum to appreciate security agencies for their relentless effort in upholding the peace and unity of Rivers State and Nigeria.
The Chief Imam of Rivers State Central Mosque, Imam Ibrahim Yaloo, admonished Moslem faithful to always speak the truth, adding that those who obey Allah will be directed to good deeds and their sins forgiven.
Prayers were offered for Rivers State and Nigeria.
Other activities to mark the 65th Independence anniversary in the state include an Inter-denominational Church Thanksgiving Service on Sunday, 28th September and Parade Ceremony on Wednesday, 1st October.
Vice-President Kashim Shettima departed New York on Sunday after representing President Bola Tinubu at the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
In a statement released on Sunday by the VP media aide, Stanley Nkwocha, the Vice President is now headed to Germany, where he will hold strategic meetings with officials of Deutsche Bank.
The statement read, “Vice President Kashim Shettima has departed New York, United States, after successfully representing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, at the 80th Session of the United Nations General Assembly.
“During his participation at UNGA 80, VP Shettima secured UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ commendation for Nigeria’s bid for a permanent UN Security Council seat.
“He also showcased Nigeria’s $200 billion energy transition opportunity to global investors and strengthened strategic partnerships with the UK on trade, defence, and migration issues.”
Nkwocha added that the VP delivered Tinubu’s national statement, calling for UN reforms and a permanent seat for Nigeria at the UN Security Council, and “demanded Africa’s control over its $700 billion mineral wealth, and digital inclusion initiatives.”
“He also engaged with the Gates Foundation on healthcare and education expansion, positioning Nigeria as the natural hub for the African Continental Free Trade Area’s $3.4 trillion market.
“VP Shettima was seen off at John F. Kennedy International Airport, New York, by cabinet Ministers who were part of the UNGA 80 delegation and Nigerian Mission officials.”
The aide noted that Shettima will return to Nigeria immediately after his engagements in Germany.
The Tide source recalls that the VP departed Abuja, yesterday.
He led other Nigerian officials at the Assembly.
As part of Nigeria’s 65th Independence anniversary celebration, the Federal Government held a special thanksgiving service on Sunday at the National Ecumenical Centre in Abuja to offer prayers and give thanks for the nation.
The event drew top government officials and security chiefs, including Senate President Godswill Akpabio and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, as well as their spouses.
Other notable guests included Finance Minister and Coordinating Minister of the Economy Wale Edun, former Plateau State Governor, Senator Simon Lalong, and the Chief of Defence Staff, General Christopher Musa, who led the service chiefs in attendance.
Service chiefs present included the Chief of Naval Staff, Vice-Admiral Emmanuel Ogala, Inspector-General of Police Kayode Egbetokun, Comptroller-General of the Nigerian Immigration Service, Mrs Kemi Nandap and Controller-General of the Nigerian Correctional Service, Sylvester Nwakuche, among others.00
The service came days after the government unveiled the official theme and some of the activities slated for the 2025 Independence celebrations.
This year’s anniversary is tagged “Nigeria @ 65: All Hands on Deck for a Greater Nation,” as announced by the Director of Information and Public Relations at the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Segun Imohiosen, in a statement on Wednesday.
“As part of activities to mark the 65th Independence Anniversary, the Juma’at Prayer and the Inter-Denominational Church Service will be held on Friday, 26th September at 1 pm and Sunday, 28th September at 10 am respectively, as well as the World Press Conference on Monday, 29th September at 10 am,” he said.
The Tide source had earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu, alongside former Heads of State, Yakubu Gowon, Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, is expected as a special guest at a national discourse convened by the Island Club, Lagos, to mark Nigeria’s 65th Independence Anniversary.
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