Ladoja urges pharmacists to embrace local herbs for drugs

Ladoja local herbs drug production call as Olubadan urges pharmacists to integrate herbal medicine with modern drugs to reduce import dependence

The Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rasidi Ladoja, has called on pharmacists in Nigeria to integrate local herbs into the production of drugs and other medicinal products in a move aimed at strengthening local pharmaceutical capacity.

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Ladoja urges herbal use in drug manufacturing appeal was made on Thursday during an event in Oyo State, where the former governor of Oyo State emphasised the need to reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported medicines.

Oba Rasidi Ladoja said collaboration between modern pharmacists and traditional herbal practitioners would improve healthcare outcomes and support the development of locally produced drugs.

He noted that many local herbal treatments had shown effectiveness in addressing certain health conditions and should be properly tested and integrated into mainstream medicine where appropriate.

Ladoja urged stakeholders to adopt an open-minded approach, insisting that combining traditional knowledge with modern pharmaceutical science could deliver better results for patients.

Also speaking at the event, the President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria in Oyo State, Victor Ajanaku, called on the Federal Government to introduce stronger policy frameworks that would encourage local drug production.

He said inadequate policy support remains a major challenge preventing pharmacists from scaling up domestic pharmaceutical manufacturing.

Ajanaku added that creating a more enabling environment would help reduce reliance on imported drugs and strengthen Nigeria’s healthcare system.

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The renewed calls come amid ongoing discussions about boosting local capacity in the pharmaceutical sector and improving access to affordable medicines across the country.

Mariam Balogun