From Our Correspondent
The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) says it will enhance the quality of Nigeria’s herbal products to global standards.
The agency’s Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, gave this assurance in a message to commemorate the 2023 International Traditional Medicine Day.
TheNewsZenith reports that the United Nations celebrate International Traditional Medicine Day every Aug. 31.
Adeyeye commended the efforts of herbal medicines manufacturers across the country for their resilience.
She noted with pride, development of several herbal formulations and their progress from clinical trials to approval stages by NAFDAC.
The DG said the agency had prepared guidelines for Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) in herbal medicine production.
According to her, NAFDAC is also preparing a series of trainings for practitioners to get accustomed to herbal guidelines.
“The agency will begin vigorous inspections of facilities, to ascertain the level of preparedness of the herbal practitioners in the business after the training.
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“NAFDAC will also monitor and ensure compliance with the guidelines after the training,” she said.
Adeyeye further said the agency would take the guidelines to over 614 herbal medicine facilities nationwide.
According to her, this is imperative to sanitise the sector. “This is because the agency cannot enforce rules on untrained herbal medicine practitioners”.
The D-G said NAFDAC has divided the facilities into zones and would deploy its personnel for the exercise.
She added that the strategy would also apply to practitioners in all other zones.
Adeyeye stressed that the deployment of NAFDAC personnel to each zone for the job would reduce operating costs.
The stakeholder’s training would start with Lagos which has more than 317 facilities, she said.
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After the training, NAFDAC would give herbal practitioners some weeks to get ready for inspection visits by its personnel.
She warned that any herbal practitioner who failed to meet the agency’s standards would have its facility either closed.
The agency is worried about hygiene in herbal medicine practice, but it is training and counselling owners of the facilities on this, DG stated.
Adeyeye said the University of Lagos is currently establishing a manufacturing facility.
When completed the institution would make the facility available to herbal practitioners for use at affordable cost.
“Herbal manufacturing GMP requires qualified personnel and the standard building for production.
“The floor, walls and roof must be clean, smooth and impervious to moisture,” the NAFDAC boss said.
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