ust some days ago, a UNIBEN professor
announced a ground breaking discovery that
he had found the cure for HIV/AIDS. The
discovery met controversies from all and
sundry. In the light of this,NAFDAC declared
that no one, except the health minister, has
the power to announce the cure for any
major disease.
NAFDAC also dissociated itself from the claim
by Ibeh that he had found a cure for the
deadly virus.
NAFDAC’s Director-General, Dr. Paul Orhii, at
a news conference in Abuja, cautioned people
from patronising Ibeh or using his drug, as it
had not been presented to NAFDAC for
evaluation and necessary certification. He
added that the efficacy and safety of the cure
were yet to be established.
And in what looks like a modification of his
claims, Ibeh now says “our research is
preliminary and still ongoing.”
This is as the university has announced that
it has commenced in-house investigation to
confirm the veracity of Ibeh’s claims.
Lamenting that such spurious claim had
been made in the past to the embarrassment
of Nigeria, Orhii explained that only the
Minister of Health, on the advice of NAFDAC
and other relevant bodies, had the power to
announce the discovery of any new drug
capable of curing any major disease such as
HIV/AIDS.
“The agency wishes to state that this herbal
drug, which is claimed to have undergone a
series of successful tests, has never been
presented to the National Agency for Food
and Drug Administration and Control for
evaluation of its efficacy and safety.
“This bogus claim of efficacy without
following the appropriate procedure for drug
evaluation is capable of misleading the
public, especially those that have HIV/AIDS
infection as there is no known official or
scientifically proven cure for HIV/AIDS
infection to date.
“I wish to caution other persons who might
want to follow the footsteps of Prof. Isaiah
Ibeh in making public claims for products
whose safety and efficacy have not been
scientifically proven to desist from such acts.
There is a laid-down protocol for determining
efficacy and safety of new medicines and this
must be strictly adhered to by all,” he said.
He added that plans were on to review the
laws on improper announcement of cures for
diseases before they are properly verified.
A draft of the law, it was gathered, was
already with the Federal Executive Council
(FEC) for study and approval before
presentation to the National Assembly for
enactment.
The NAFDAC boss recalled the claims made
by Dr. Abalaka and the Managing Director of
Winners Medical Diagnostics and Research
institute, Mr. Jacob Abdullahi, some years ago
that they had found cures for the disease, as
well as one Dr P.S.A. Bondima Young of
Bondima Hepatovical Centre, Jos, who alleged
he had a cure for hepatitis only for such
claims to turn out untrue.
Orhii stated that the agency would
investigate Ibeh’s assertion and if found to be
false, he would be sanctioned according to
existing laws although he was unable to tell
journalists what the sanctions were at
present.
He said they would study the extant legal
provisions and apply them should the
investigation find the drug to be ineffectual
and unsafe.
Ibeh, who has come under fire, has been
attending series of meetings with the
authorities of the UNIBEN, after which he
released a statement modifying his claim.
“The publication with reference to our HIV/
AIDS research findings was a
misinterpretation of what actually
transpired,” he said.
Ibeh, in announcing his discovery, had told
the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) Tuesday
that “we are at the threshold of making
history in the sense that we seem to have
with us something that will permanently take
care of what over time seems to have defied
all solutions.”
According to him, his research started in
2010 and culminated in the development of
Deconcotion X (DX)-liquid or Bioclean II for
the cure of HIV and AIDS.
Speaking on the issue in Benin City, Iyawe
called for caution just as he said that an in-
house investigation was ongoing to establish
Ibeh’s alleged discovery.
Iyawe sued for patience among members of
the public and professional colleagues.
According to him, researchers have a
responsibility to ensure that they follow the
requisite procedure and protocol to establish
whatever discovery and invention before
going to the press, a process, which he
pointed out, was not adhered to by Ibeh.
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