By Doyin Ojosipe
Indications have emerged that the Federal Government may settle for the local production of vaccines and drugs for the management of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD).
It was learnt yesterday that the drug derived from bitter-kola for the management of EVD which recently raised controversy nationwide has been proposed for review and discussion.
A review meeting is said to have been convened under the auspices of Treatment Research Group (TRG) on the EVD to look into the potency of bitter-cola from which two drugs have already been derived namely GB One and Kola Veron TRG member and former chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Maurice Iwu, disclosed this at a joint press briefing with the co-chair of the TRG, who doubles as the Director-General of Nigerian Institute of Medical Research, Prof. Innocent Ujah.
The purpose of the meeting was to get a report of TRG findings on the bitter-kola option for the management of the EVD.
The meeting also sought to find out details of collated, analyzed and related research findings on treatment of Ebola within Nigeria and around the world.
TRG member, Iwu hinted that “the drugs that are derived from bitter cola, two drugs there; one is call GB One, the other one is called Kola Veron.
“ But, much more importantly, we are not talking about cure.son. We are talking about being able to treat a disease with it, being able to manage a disease, being able to reduce the mortality rate and not necessarily in terms of curing.” He added TRG co-chair, Ujah stated that the issues under discussion are experimental vaccines in the management of EVD and development of a national master plan for self-development of medical counter measures to emerging infectious diseases, including Ebola virus.
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