Henry Uche 

Stakeholders in the health sector have stressed the need for Nigeria to adopt clinical trials to advance public health and development of evidence-based medicine in the country.

The stakeholders, who spoke at a recent Clinical Investigators’ Summit, Nigeria 2020, organised by Clinique Research Development Limited with the theme: ‘Strategy for Collection of Quality Data/Site Preparedness’, said Nigeria’s potential to become a global, leading country in the field of Clinical Research is yet to be exploited.

According to them, the African continent has a diverse native population of potential patients, and many have not been exposed to any kind of investigational products.

More importantly, they noted that a number of diseases, particularly those defined as neglected and tropical – are endemic to the developing world, which includes Nigeria.

Speaking at the event, the Chairperson of Association of Good Clinical Practice Nigeria (AGCPN), Prof. Ifeoma Okoye, stressed the importance of data in clinical trials, saying the success of any clinical trial depends on the accurate generation, gathering, and analysis of data.

Okoye, who was represented by the Consultant Clinical & Radiation Oncologist at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Lagos, Dr. Anthonia Sowunmi, said clinical trials are essential to move Nigeria’s healthcare sector forward, as it aims to promote indigenous drug development and health.

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She identified the conduct of clinical trials as ‘high on the list’ of enterprises which can leapfrog Africa into the recommendation of ranking bodies like Bloomberg; “adopt New Technologies & develop capacity to nurture innovation as the only strategy to move Africa up the development ladder. “We are convinced the time has come for Africa to take ownership of her health economy. The days of foreign-led and foreign executed solutions that fail to build and retain capacity in Africa is over. Thus, the continued low volume of clinical trials in Africa is counterproductive to the vision for a healthy Africa”, she said.

According to her, “If we look at the numbers of researches that have been done globally, you will know that Nigeria is just starting. We need to move forward as a nation and increase our participation of clinical trials. The country is far behind when it comes to clinical trials.”

She disclosed that clinical trial is used to improve the quality of life of patients and is a cornerstone for drug development. “Despite Africa having the world’s highest burden of diseases among its fast growing population, almost no drug development, little pharmaceutical research, takes place on the continent and almost none of drugs administration on the continent are optimised for African potential.”

Okoye said the time has come for the African continent to take ownership of its health economy. “The days of foreign led and foreign executed solution that fails to build and retain her capacity are over. It is the next frontier for the growth for Africa”, she added.

She therefore urged stakeholders to collaborate with one another and be committed, stressing that all sectors of Nigeria must have a strong sense of ownership, and as such support clinical trials.

Speaking on the role of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), the Director-General, Prof. Mojisola Adeyeye stated that the agency gives authorisation to clinical trials and ensure good practice in the industry.

Adeyeye, who was represented by the Chief Regulatory Officer, NAFDAC, Mr. Kayode Amoda, said the agency prescribes good clinical practice requirements for the conduct of clinical trials, on participants involving medicinal products; to ensure that the rights, safety and well-being of trial participants are protected and that the results of the clinical trials are credible.