A few days ago, social media was awash with the story that Pax Herbal Clinic and Research Laboratories, Ewu, Edo state has been granted approval by the National Agency for Food, Drugs Administration and Control (NAFDAC) for its herbal remedy and certified as safe for public use. It was alleged that “after a series of screening, spanning eight weeks, NAFDAC has today approved our PaxHerbal Covid-19 herbal drug, PaxHerbal Cugzin for public use. It is the first to be so approved and presently, the only one. The drug is specifically for treating the symptoms associated with the coronavirus.”
Stating further, “We at Pax herbals are happy to confirm that our CVD Plus, which has been renamed Cugzin, has been issued a NAFDAC number, as ‘an immune booster and anti-infective’. We are aware that there is a lot of anxiety in the land and people are hungry for any reliable immune booster as prevention. PaxHerbal Cugzin will help to boost body immunity, as there is yet no officially approved drug for the cure of (coronavirus) Covid-19”. The herbal remedy had earlier been produced under the brand name of “CVD Plus” before it was rebranded to “Pax Herbal Cugzin”, which is in capsules form and packaged in capsules that contain Garcinia Kola, Curcuma Longa, and Zingiber officinale. The producer claimed that Herbal Cugzin can serve as an immunity booster and an anti-infective but not to be used by pregnant women and young children under 11 years.
Rev. Fr. (Dr.) Anslem Adodo, Director, Pax Herbals, recommended some of its already NAFDAC-approved drugs for the management of symptoms associated with Covid-19, saying, “We have herbal medicines for many of the diseases that plague our people. For more than 25 years, we have been producing herbal medicines for diabetes, hypertension, asthma, malaria, prostate problem, male and female infertility, and others. For those 25 years, we have strived to maintain the same high standard and consistency. The only thing we are poor at is making noise about what we do. Those who use the products make the noise for us”.
Many Nigerians were excited about the development until NAFDAC announced that it had yet to approve the drug and is currently processing 21 herbal medicinal products for ‘Safe to Use’ or ‘Listing Status’, which most of the applicants claimed are immune boosters and anti-infectives, useful for relief of symptoms that could be associated with Covid-19. The agency warned that until a clinical study was done scientifically, no herbal medicine manufacturer could claim effectiveness to treat Covid-19 associated symptoms. The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye described such claims as inaccurate, which suggested that NAFDAC had approved PaxHerbal products for treating symptoms associated with coronavirus. Adeyeye disclosed that the listing of a herbal product is not a requirement for the conduct of clinical trials.
The NAFDAC boss stressed that “Once the product is able to meet all requirements, a listing status is granted with a clear disclaimer that states clearly that claims have not been evaluated by NAFDAC. The applicant can arrange for clinical trials that will involve the use of human subjects in order to prove efficacy or claim for treatment following the laid down procedures and with the approval of NAFDAC. Most of the applicants that submitted herbal medicines that are currently undergoing processing have been issued compliance directives to provide additional information or/and evidence of Good Manufacturing Practice or environment fit for the production of the medicines. However, as part of the labeling of the product and in line with global practice, a disclaimer is on the product label, which clearly states that the claims have not been evaluated by NAFDAC”, she added.
In Nigeria, Covid-19 infections and deaths have daily been on the increase hence, the need to join the rest of the world by looking inward for local solutions to ending the ravaging virus. It appears that the African continent is always at the receiving end because most advanced nations seem to pay lesser attention to emerging nations. It is saddening that over the years, African countries have depended heavily on external interventions in the name of aids, assistance, and grants, which are given out at great cost. This form of neo-colonialism should stop. For instance, the United States of America is reputed to have administered the drug, Remdesivir, which was developed for the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) for the treatment of coronavirus without extending to Africa ravaged by EVD.
Regrettably, the drug is not readily available unlike the attempt by Madagascar in producing a local herbal drink based on Artemisia. Local producers of drugs and other products such as Fr. Adodo should shun premature publicity and be encouraged in Nigeria without compromising standards. The Federal Ministry of Health should ensure that NAFDAC and other regulatory agencies perform their statutory function by encouraging indigenous production that may eventually be proven to be the life-saving option after adhering to necessary procedures for assessing plant-based products. Without flouting the rules, local production of goods and services should always be accorded great attention and priority.
