OYOGist.com has learned that the President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria (PSN), Mazi Sam Ohuabunwa has said that the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) is not being completely truthful when it says individuals who claim they have Coronavirus remedial drug should bring it for testing, as according to him, the agency often charges heavy fees that such scientists can’t afford to pay.
Ohuabunwa who stated this in a phone chat with our correspondent, said Research and Development is a very expensive venture which only governments or big companies can afford.
“When NAFDAC says people should come forward with their products for laboratory test, you know it is only half the truth,” he said. For the agency it is mainly a financial transaction. To submit your product for testing you have to pay a heavy fee. Some of these researchers and scientists may not have the fee. Research and Development (R/D) is a very expensive venture and only government and large companies can afford it”.
OYOGist.com reports
OYOGist.com reports
Ohuabunwa called on the government to do more to help local scientists in this regard, noting that Nigeria has variety of herbs which can make it self reliant such critical area of national development.
“Therefore, the government has to come in to encourage them by assuming the risk and burden for it. Our position then is how to rally government support for these people to produce something we can use here not only for the Covid-19, but many other things”.
“We have the human and material resources to achieve whatever we may set our mind to do. We are blessed with a rich variety of herbs and trees. It will be cheaper to produce here, and makes us self reliant in such critical area of national development; and saves us a lot of foreign exchange in the importation of products”.
“Can you see how much it reported Madagascar is demanding from us for the syrup – $170,000? We are only trying to make government focus more on R/D in solving our problems because that is the core of the issue; everything begins there. This is not the time for individual effort; government should invite these people, and others and get a team of scientists and fund them to investigate this case and provide us a remedy”.
