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Tag: Drugs

  • Stop revealing drugs used for your treatment – FG cautions COVID-19 survivors

    Stop revealing drugs used for your treatment – FG cautions COVID-19 survivors

    The Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the Chairman, Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, Boss Mustapha, has told COVID-19 survivors to stop giving details of the drugs used for their treatment, so they don’t encourage self-medication.

    Boss Mustapha, made the plea at a Presidential Task Force press briefing in Abuja.

    This follows recent revelations by some high-profile survivors, who spoke about the drugs administered on them during their treatment.

    Mustapha, expressed concern that some of the testimonies disclosing the prescription for treatment could encourage patients to indulge in self-medication instead of seeking help from health authorities.

    “The PTF congratulates and appreciates the testimonies of Nigerians who have recovered from COVID-19, which has given us more insights and further strengthens the need to adhere strictly to guidelines issued.

    “However, an emerging issue from all these testimonies is the issue of prescription for treatments. We should always remember that the symptoms of COVID-19 mimic some illnesses we already know but treating the symptoms is not the same as treating the virus. For this reason, we strongly discourage self-medication,” Mustapha said.

    He also said that five states in Nigeria were currently participating in the ongoing World Health Organization (WHO)-coordinated solidarity trial to find a cure for the pandemic, saying that at the end of this trial, relevant health authorities would make statements on acceptable drugs for treating COVID-19.

  • COVID-19: Where’s Nigeria in drugs, vaccines?, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    By Ehichioya Ezomon
    From the United States comes good news for the global community wracked by infections and deaths from coronavirus, as the first of registered clinical trials for treatments and vaccines was announced on Wednesday, April 29, 2020.
    Barely 48 hours after, on Friday, May 1, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the drug, ‘Remdesivir’, for emergency treatment of the “sickest patients” in hospitals.
    Produced by Gilead, remdesivir, first developed as a failed therapy for Ebola, but being “repurposed”, was reported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), as having the potential to shorten the time of recovery by patients.
    Though he admitted that the drug wasn’t a complete “knockout” in the study of 1,063 patients, yet, NIAID’s director, Dr Anthony Fauci, said, “what it has proven is that a drug can block this virus.”
    While he likened the drug to the discovery of AZT (azidothymidine) as “a weapon” against HIV in 1984; U.S. President, Donald Trump, described it as “a very positive event.”
    As reported by politico.com, Dr Fauci, a member of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, announcing the NIAID study, told reporters that: “The data shows that remdesivir has a clear-cut, significant positive effect in diminishing the time to recover.”
    Going by the report: “Trial participants, who received remdesivir, recovered in an average of 11 days compared with 15 days for patients in the control group, who received a placebo (ordinary care). Eight percent of remdesivir patients died during the trial versus 11 percent in the placebo group.”
    Gilead, a California-based pharmaceutical company, is one in several countries in the rush to get treatments for COVID-19, with reporting on their outcomes expected in weeks or months.
    Besides remdesivir, the following are drugs under experiment: Favipiravir, Tocilizumab, Baricitinib, Acalabrutinib, Convalescent plasma, Steroids, and Hydroxychloroquine and Chloroquine.
    Five companies carrying out experimental vaccines are: Moderna (jump-started trials on humans) (United States); CanSino Biologics and Beijing Institute of Biotechnology (China); Johnson & Johnson, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre and BARDA (United States); Pfizer and BioNTech (American-German partnership); and Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline (France and England).
    Where’s Nigeria in these experiments for drugs and vaccines against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)? Are Nigerian researchers in the race? Or “we stand aside and look,” in the words of the reggae maestro, Bob Marley, in ‘Redemption song’?
    Surely, in line with its mantra of the ‘Giant of Africa’, it’s time for Nigeria to redeem and acquit itself among the leading nations of the world. It should be a giant in action, rubbing shoulders with the big players in finding solutions to COVID-19.
    Putting this reality in perspective on May 1, the Director General of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Dr Chikwe Ihekweazu, craved for Nigerian home-grown treatments and vaccines for the novel coronavirus.
    It’s noteworthy, though, that Maurice Iwu, a Nigerian Professor of Pharmacognosy, has claimed the development of a compound that could treat the disease.
    On March 2 in Abuja, Prof. Iwu, the Chief Executive Officer of Bioresources Institute of Nigeria, led his team of researchers to brief the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnanya Onu and the Minister of Health, Dr Osagie Ehanire.
    He said having identified and patented the possible coronavirus treatment in 2015, the institute needed government’s support to “translate the compound into a drug.”
    Due to the interest the revelation generated, Dr Onu clarified that Prof. Iwu hadn’t found a cure for the virus, but that his initial compound against SARS was being tested in the U.S. “to confirm whether it could be a cure for COVID-19 or SARS.”
    Yet, Iwu iterated his claim that three of the compounds developed in 2015 “were active against coronavirus/SARS.” In an interview, he said when COVID-19 occurred, “we notified the (Nigerian) authorities that we do have compounds that are active against them (virus) and they are being developed into a drug.”
    “It was necessary to inform the authorities, to fast-track the development, which we were able to do. National authorities do that when the need arises, and all those things are being considered. So, we have a compound that is active against coronavirus. And the idea is being developed as we speak,” he said.
    However, Iwu described his team’s remedy as “repurposing”: “The use of something for a purpose other than its original intended used,” in this case, using the compound to treat a different disease.
    “It is a well-known compound that is used for a different purpose, but we believe that it can be used for this purpose,” he said. “Very soon, the developmental aspect will be completed. We are following the due and normal process,” he added.
    Is this drug one of several tested in the U.S., awaiting authorisation of the FDA? Is it among the nine drugs listed above? If so, what’s its name, and at what stage is its reporting: weeks or months?
    There’s also the testing of chloroquine, announced by the Nigerian Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), and the urgent production of chloroquine, as ordered by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC).
    The Director-General of NIMR, Prof. Babatunde Salako, said the institute would commence clinical trials on the “efficacy of chloroquine on people, who tested positive for COVID-19 and those showing symptoms but not confirmed yet.”
    In an interview, Salako said: “We are hoping to do it very quickly, to see if we can provide information for the health sector for them to use it on patients. We are starting in a few weeks because there are processes, ethical approvals involved.
    “We have to get the drugs but we are already close to the ethics approval. So, within the next few weeks, we should start. We will also let Nigerians know when we start.”
    The Director-General of NAFDAC, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye, said since chloroquine has shown to be effective in controlling the virus, it’s necessary to manufacture more stock “in case more people become exposed and infected.”
    Adeyeye said NAFDAC is giving expedited provisional approvals for the manufacture of any commodities: sanitisers, drugs or medical device “that could be used for the clinical trial, testing and treatment of COVID-19.”
    Her words: “The Agency had reduced the 120 working days for approval to 10 days due to the crisis. The products should have been previously reported for clinical trial treatments in reputable scientific journals or technical literature as safe and effective.
    “Other researchers in France, U.S. have used the drug for clinical trial treatment of COVID-19 and they reported effectiveness of the drug. Lagos State will be starting a clinical trial on chloroquine to evaluate the effectiveness,” she said.
    A positive start! But while Nigeria strives to develop treatments and vaccines for coronavirus, timely reports on experimental trials are imperative, as Nigerians need to know about the efficacy and danger of chloroquine and other drugs, to avoid the Kano scenario where a fake “COVID-19 Vaccine” is hawked.
    * Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.a
  • Why you should stop using sex enhancing drugs

    Why you should stop using sex enhancing drugs

    Dr Segun Opawoye, a Senior Registrar in the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health, University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital (UITH), has warned youths against use of sex enhancing drugs to impress their partners.

    Opawoye gave the advice while speaking with newsmen on Monday in Ilorin.

    The medical expert also warned youths against illicit sexual activities because of their destructive effects on lives and careers.

    According to him, evidence shows that some sudden deaths, particularly among youths and the aged in recent times, are results of effects of the consumption of illicit sexual enhancement pills.

    He said that available information suggested that males and females were showing heavy reliance on sex drugs.

    “The practice is common among males who are always out to impress their illicit sexual partners.

    “Most drugs in use have negative effects on the liver, kidney and other sensitive organs of the body, which are always left weaker and destroyed by toxic effects,” he said.

    The health expert further said that evidences abound to show that such drugs could lead to mental degradation and irreversible erectile dysfunction among long time users.

    He decried increasing rate of sexual pervasion among youths, saying many promising lives had been destroyed following heavy reliance on sex enhancing drugs.

    Opawoye noted that illicit sexual practices had resulted in the spread of venereal diseases, unwanted pregnancies and untimely deaths in the course of illegal abortion.

    He also warned youths to desist from masturbation, saying the practice was not only unhealthy but could also have negative effects on their marital life when eventually married.

    Opawoye encouraged youths to stay away from sex until they were ready for it through marriage as that was the only platform allowed by culture and religion.

    He appealed to all stakeholders to join forces in eradicating sexual perversion in the society.

  • Reps move to encourage local production of drugs

    Reps move to encourage local production of drugs

    The House of Representatives on Tuesday mandated the committees on Legislative Compliance, Health Institutions, Health Care Services, Science and Technology to immediately navigate ways and means for the development of locally made drugs.

    This was sequel to a motion promoted by Rep Denis Idahosa, APC, Edo entitled: ”Need to Check The Rise of Drug Insecurity and to manage Indigenous Production of Drugs In Nigeria’.

    Idahosa in his submission asserted that”Nigeria is largely dependent on China among other countries for importation for active and non-active ingredients for production of drugs.

    Adding that “China has recently been inflicted with a coronavirus that has paralysed its economy thus rendering it unable to produce or export those necessary ingredients or medicine.

    “”The NAFDAC DG recently at an event in February 18 raised an alarm that the outbreak of coronavirus in China has the capacity to result in an uo-rrise of drug insecurity.

    Explaining, Idahosa said Nigeria does not produce drugs locally or the ingredients to make the drugs on a large commercial scale and that Nigeria imports over 79percent of the drugs majorly from China.

    Presiding officer, Rep Idris Wase in his ruling said there was no need for a debate as it was a straight motion and when he out it to a voice vote it was unanimously adopted.

  • 544kg illegal drugs seized in Anambra

    544kg illegal drugs seized in Anambra

    The National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) on Wednesday said it seized 544.53kg of illicit drug in Anambra State between January and February 26, 2020.

    The agency’s new commander in the state Mohammed Idris gave the information as he addressed reporters following his redeployment.

    Idris succeeds Mr Sule Momodu, deployed to Katsina State.

    Idris said the command’s record showed that more than 426kg of illicit drugs were seized by the command throughout 2019.

    “A total of 45 suspects, including 42 males and three females, were arrested in connection with the illicit drugs during the period under review,” he said.

    Idris said that his command secured five convictions, filed 13 new cases at the Federal High Court, Awka, while 149 cases are pending in courts.

    He said 23 drug addicts were undergoing counseling and rehabilitation at the agency’s facility in Onitsha.

     

  • Spain breaks up drugs ring run by ‘Messi’

    Spain breaks up drugs ring run by ‘Messi’

    Spanish police said Sunday they had broken up a major drug ring run by a Moroccan known as the “Messi of hashish”, who is now on the run.

    The operation began in February when police on the British territory of Gibraltar found a boat that was about to sink with its three crew on board — and 84 bales of hashish. Gibraltar sits off the south coast of Spain at one of the shortest crossing points to north Africa.

    Since then, Spanish police have arrested 45 people and issued warrants against another 16, including the leader, El Haj.

    Police had arrested Abdellah El Haj in November 2017 before releasing him on bail last March, since when he has been untraceable, said a spokesman for Spain’s Guardia Civil force.

    “‘Messi’ has been on the run for a long time and runs the network from the outside, but several of his lieutenants have fallen,” he added.

    A statement from the force said the arrests so far have effectively broken up one of the most active drug networks operating on the Guadalquivir river.

    The river, which comes out into the North Atlantic Ocean just north of Cadiz and not far from North Africa, is considered the main route for gangs smuggling Moroccan hashish into Spain.

    Police have seized five boats, 17 vehicles, more than half a million euros, and several weapons. They also dismantled a shipyard that was building the go-fast boats used to smuggle the drugs across from Morocco.

    Spain has over the last year stepped up its campaign against drug trafficking in southern Spain, having boosted police numbers there last year.

    Between July 2018 and July 2019 they have seized 143 tonnes of hashish and 5.4 tonnes of cocaine in and around Gibraltar, said the interior ministry.

  • NDLEA arrests 103 suspected drug traffickers

    The Edo Command of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency says it has arrested 103 suspects for trafficking illicit drugs.
    Mr Peter Ogar, Head of Operations and Intelligence in the command, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin on Monday.
    Ogar said the suspects, comprised of 88 males and 15 females, were arrested between July and September in various parts of the state.
    He explained that more than 4,000 kilograms of suspected Indian hemp was seized within the period while 14 farmlands of about 10 hectares cultivated with the plant, were destroyed.
    Ogar however said that the command had rehabilitated 79 drug addicts who had reunited with their families, while two are still undergoing intensive rehabilitation.
    “It is peak period for traffickers because it is the harvest season,” he noted, adding that this has led to upsurge in arrest of suspects and seizures by the agency.
    The Assistant Commander disclosed that the NDLEA had filed 18 cases in courts within the period, while several others are pending.
    NAN

  • 9 knife wielding Nigerians who attacked police in India arrested, drugs seized

    Nine knife-wielding Nigerians allegedly peddling drugs in Mumbai have been arrested by India’s Anti-Narcotics Cell.

    During the arrest on Friday night, police recovered 104 grams of cocaine and nine grams of mephedrone, all worth Rs 5.38 lakh, from the accused who attacked the cops with knives while resisting search.

    According to Mumbai Mirror, the accused were identified as Charles Ifini Ijia, 27; Okoro Jems Aja, 38; Mascells John Dino, 32; Samuel Baju Okeni, 30; Ken Kon Ishmel, 37; Kofi Jems Romalik, 30; Chikku Fry, 43; Nanna Harisans Agvu, 28; and Joku Humai Vachuku Pais, 32.

    The names were mangled by the officers as the Nigerians did not carry their passports on them, another offence, according to Indian law.

    Investigators said three of the accused were also involved in an attack on officers of ANC’s Worli Unit during an operation to nab a Nigerian national allegedly selling cocaine in Byculla on July 19.

    Four police officers had sustained injuries in the attack.

    While the attackers managed to flee then, a case was registered at the JJ Marg Police Station and night patrolling was increased based on Deputy Commissioner of Police Shivdeep Lande’s order.

    “On Friday night, our officers, who patrolling the South Mumbai area, had neared the Eastern Freeway when they spotted some foreigners hanging around suspiciously under the bridge. The officers approached the group and was about to search them when two of them drew out knives and attacked them. While they attempted to flee, our officers, who had sustained minor injuries, managed to overpower them,” said an ANC officer.

    During interrogation, three of the accused confessed to their involvement in the earlier attack in Byculla and revealed the identities of five others who were involved in the same.

    “We are on their lookout,” said the officer.

    “The accused obstructed police from discharging their duties and intentionally injured four personnel.

  • Ghana arrests two Nigerians with drugs allegedly concealed in stockfish

    Two Nigerians were on Thursday arrested in Ghana by the nation’s Narcotics Control Board while they were allegedly attempting to traffic substances believed to be narcotics through the General Post Office in Accra.

    A press release by the Communication and Media Relations Unit of the NACOB on Thursday afternoon has confirmed the arrests, reports Adomonline.

    The suspects, Theophilus Biney, alias Godwin Orji, a. k. a ‘Goody’, 37 years and Jeff Nnaana-K, 36 years, all residents in Ghana were picked up by officials of NACOB at different locations for their involvement in an attempt to traffic Methamphetamine a narcotic drug to the Philippines.

    Part of the statement revealed that “Theophilus Biney also known as Godwin Orji was apprehended after attempting to post the parcels of stockfish, locally known as ‘Kako’, which contained the narcotic drug. The total weight of the narcotic drug is 21.7kgs.

    Theophilus upon his arrest admitted ownership of the package when interrogated and revealed that the parcels were given to him by Jeff Nnaana-K to be sent to one Victor, resident in the Philippines.

    Nnaana-K upon his arrest narrated that the consignment was not his, but was given to him by one Offor based in Nigeria to be given to Theophilus, the sender to be delivered through the Ghana Post Office to one Victor also a Nigerian resident in the Philippines.

    The two suspects have been arraigned before court pending further investigations and final verdict on the matter.”

  • Nigeria develops Ebola, Malaria herbal drugs

    Nigeria develops Ebola, Malaria herbal drugs

    The National Institute for Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD) says it has successfully researched and developed six traditional herbal products for the treatment of Ebola, Malaria and other diseases.

    The NIPRD Director-General, Prof. Karniyus Gamaniel, said this while presenting the score card of his eight-year tenure (2009 to 2017) in Abuja on Friday.

    The programme, organised by NIPRD, aimed to present the products researched and developed by the institute and present staff service awards to deserving worker.

    He said that ‘NIPRIBOL’, a fixed dose combination drug was developed by the institute for the treatment of Ebola Virus Disease, adding that the institute had completed the Phase I study of the drug.

    Gamaniel said that the institute had also developed ‘NIPRIMAL’, an anti-malaria for treatment of uncomplicated malaria, stating that the drug was also safe for use by pregnant women.

    Others are: ‘NIPRIMUNE’ an immunostimulant which can also be used to manage HIV in Nigeria and ‘NIPRIFAN’ for the treatment of fungal skin infection.

    He said that another product developed by the institute, ‘NIPRD Oil’, could be used as a nasal decongestant, insect repellant, air freshner and an anti-inflammatory agent.

    He however noted that excessive use of this oil could cause irritation.

    He said that “the institute has also developed ‘NIPRISAN’ for the management of sickle cell anaemia.

    “We are currently concluding plans to carry out commercial production and distribution of this product.

    “We have developed and implemented various institutional policies for effective governance, this include the scheme and condition of service, intellectual policy and quality management system.

    “We have also ensured the introduction of traditional herbal medicine into the national health system and established partnerships with local and international organisations.

    “The core competence of NIPRD is in the development of phytomedicines from indigenous plants and products, clinical trials, among others; we are a quality assured institute,” Gamaniel said.

    He said that presenting a report was necessary as it would serve as a baseline for the new leadership and provide an opportunity for new strategies to be introduced.

    The institute presented awards to over 150 staff for their hard work and dedication to the growth of the institute, and the research and development of traditional herbal products.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the Federal Government in 1987 approved the establishment of the institute as a parastatal under the Federal Ministry of Science and Technology.

    It was established with the primary objective of developing drugs, biological products and pharmaceutical raw materials from indigenous resources towards the growth and development of the country.

    The institute was later moved to the Federal Ministry of Health in 2001.