NAFDAC Berates Alleged Fake Claims Over Cure For COVID-19

Posted by African Examiner Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria, News From The State Wednesday, May 13th, 2020

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) has berated claims by some individuals to have cure for the ravaging COVID-19.

The agency in a statement signed by its Director-General Prof. Moji Adeyeye, challenged that so many claims have been made on social and conventional media, yet, virtually none has shown up to consolidate the claim.

The statement read in part, “In a bid to discover a cure, therefore, the public has witnessed quite a number of claims from different quarters – complementary and alternative medicines practitioners, traditional healers, and the academia.

“It is pertinent to note, however, that these claims are domiciled in either the conventional news media or the social media.

“NAFDAC as of the time of this press release has only received an application from one company for a product the company is presenting (for approval) to the agency for the treatment of the symptoms of Covid-19, and not for the cure of Covid-19 as a disease.” NAFDAC boss challenged further that a claim of a cure must be subjected to clinical evaluation through well-controlled, randomised clinical trials following an approved clinical trial protocol.

The agency admitted that Africa is indeed blessed with herbs but stated that all possible cures must pass all scientific testing before approval.

“That Africa as a continent is blessed with diverse plants and herbs that constitute a source of food and medicine is incontrovertible. The drugs of today’s modern society are products of research and development by major pharmaceutical companies.

“Among the most important raw materials researched and developed are naturally occurring materials obtained especially from plants. It should be mentioned also, however, that many plants are similarly very poisonous’’ Prof Adeyeye stressed.

The DG promised that the agency would continue to make sure that only medicinal products including herbal remedies that have proven safety data would be approved for use by the public.

Prof Adeyeye pointed out that NAFDAC only lists herbal medicines based on a historical perspective on the use of the products after carrying out toxicological and microbiological evaluations in the laboratories to ensure that they are, at the minimum, safe. The listing status is valid for two years and is renewable.

She however cautioned that such listing does not validate the efficacy claims being made for the products hence, the labels must bear a disclaimer informing the consumer ‘The claims have not been evaluated by NAFDAC’.

According to Prof Adeyeye, the minimum requirement of ‘proof of safety’ is the agency’s way of encouraging the production of herbal remedies from the country’s rich diversity of plants.