From: Steve Ogbonmwan <Steveogbonmwan@aol.com>
Date: Tue, Jan 15, 2013 at 10:02 AM
Subject: Edo_Global. PURPORTED HIV/AIDS DRUG DISCOVERY & PRAISE FOR UNIVERSITY OF BENIN AUTHORITY
To: Edo Global <Edo_Global@yahoogroups.com>
Cc: nigerianid@yahoogroups.com, nigerian_doctors@yahoogroups.com, Nigerian World Forum <NIgerianWorldForum@yahoogroups.com>, Edo_Youths@yahoogroups.com, Ogbakha_Edo@yahoogroups.com
THE PURPORTED HIV/AIDS DRUG DISCOVERY & PRAISE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF BENIN AUTHORITY.
By
S E O Ogbonmwan FRCOG, KSC.
During last week, two incidents occurred at the University of Benin that worried the alumni all over the globe initially. First was the 'bogus' claim of a cure of the dreaded disease HIV/AIDS by the Dean of the School of Basic Sciences Prof Ibeh without following laid down University due process of making his research findings known to the academic world. Secondly was the sting operation sanctioned by the University authority to catch one of the corrupt Assistant Deans who demanded monetary gratification from students to facilitate their movement from one faculty or department to their favoured faculty or department in the University thereby putting the University into disrepute.
In the two cases; the reaction of the University authority was satisfying, accurate and supports the sense of a new beginning in accountability, transparency, probity, good leadership and the desire to clean the Nigerian Aegean stable starting from a citadel of higher learning based in Benin City.
This behaviour and attitude of being above board and doing what is right morally by those in authority as shown by the University of Benin was also displayed by the governor of Edo State Comrade Governor Oshiomhole in being fearless in putting the blame at the doors of the Nigerian Police Force who incriminated themselves by their report and the report of the SSS in the investigation of the murder of the private secretary to the governor before 2012 gubernatorial elections in Edo State.
In his press conference monitored by UNIBEN alumni and Nigerians in the Diaspora the Dean of the School of Basic Sciences Professor Isaiah Ibeh of the University of Benin, on Tuesday announced the development of a new drug that can cure HIV and AIDS in a press conference.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin that a herbal drug had undergone ``series of successful tests''. ``We are at thethreshold 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''. ``We are talking about the latest discovery of an oral drug made from plants extraction in Nigeria for the possible cure of the pandemic, HIV and AIDS virus.'' According to him, research on the project started in 2010 and culminated in the development of ``Deconcotion X (DX)–Liquid or Bioclean 11 for the cure of HIV and AIDS''.
The press men went to town with all sorts of imaginable headlines misquoting the unfortunate professor completely that a cure has been found. Being on a threshold and talking about an agent that may have the property of a possible cure is not the same thing as proclaiming the discovery of a new drug capable of curing HIV/AIDS patients.
The professor did not make his case plausible by not following university due process in the announcement of his claims as is expected in a reputable university as carefully explained by Professor Vincent Iyawe the Provost of the College of Medical Sciences. In his reaction to Prof Ibeh's claim , the University authority through the Provost of the College of Medical Sciences, told the newsmen who were at the university to authenticate the alleged discovery, that ''the institution was not in agreement with Prof. Ibeh's claim for now, alleging that the University was, "not carried along" in the research.
The Provost added that "The School would like to take credit for a break- through, but it cannot align with the breakthrough because the College was not consulted, the University was not consulted, and he did not carry the authority along''
Prof. Vincent Iyawe further added that there are normal University protocols and procedures of taking a research from stage to stage, like clinical trials; registering the drug with the Federal Ministry of Health to do clinical trials and seeking approval from the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control, NAFDAC, and involving the World Health Organisation." He further added that the University was trying to protect Professor Ibeh and the integrity and reputation of the institution which is one of the cardinal duties of the University administration.
In the development of any drug which is usually done in secrecy due to competition from other pharmaceutical companies to have a breakthrough drug in the treatment of vicious diseases like HIV/AIDS, drug development process must proceed through several stages in order to produce a product that is safe, efficacious, and has passed all regulatory requirements.
Below is an in-depth overview of many stages in the drug development process and necessary studies like Discovery; Product Characterization; Formulation, Delivery, Packaging Development; Pharmacokinetics and Drug Disposition, Preclinical Toxicology Testing and IND Application, Bio-analytical Testing and finally Clinical Trials.
Discovery often begins with target identification that is choosing a biochemical mechanism involved in a disease condition. Drug candidates, discovered in academic and pharmaceutical/biotechnology research laboratories are tested for their interaction with the drug target. Once scientists confirm interaction with the drug target, they typically validate that target by checking for activity versus the disease condition for which the drug is being developed. Publications are usually carried out without leaking the active agent as a precaution.
When the candidate molecule shows promise as a therapeutic, it must be characterized—the molecule's size, shape, strengths and weaknesses, preferred conditions for maintaining function, toxicity, bioactivity, and bioavailability must be determined. Early stage pharmacology studies help to characterize the underlying mechanism of action of the compound.
Drug developers must devise a formulation that ensures the proper drug delivery parameters. It is critical to begin looking ahead to clinical trials at this phase of the drug development process as drug formulation and delivery may be refined continuously until, and even after the drug's final approval. Scientists determine the drug's stability in the formulation itself and for all the parameters involved with storage and shipment such as heat, light and time. The formulation must remain potent and sterile and it must also remain safe.
It is only after the above stages that preclinical testing analyses the bioactivity, safety and efficacy of the formulated drug product. This testing is critical to a drug's eventual success and as such, is scrutinized by many regulatory entities. During the preclinical stage of the development process, plans for clinical trials and an Investigative New Drug (IND) application are prepared. Studies taking place during the preclinical stage should be designed to support the clinical studies that will follow. Before the clinical trials, all preclinical studies must have been completed like animal studies to determine dose, toxicity and efficacy. This will usually involve genetic toxicity, reproductive toxicity and carcinogenesis which could not have been completed in the two years of Professor Ibeh's research work in UNIBEN as he claimed.
What are published in the academic journals are results of the preclinical trials and subsequently clinical trials. Therefor the University has to ascertain correctly the stage of Prof Ibeh's work in the development of his anti HIV/AIDS drug. Even the clinical trials are in several stages before the drug is finally released into the market for sales and consumption by the people.
The behaviour of Professor Ibeh in going straight to the press without involving the University authorities was probably that of a non-team player who did his research alone without regard to the constituted University Authority possibly for self-aggrandizement instead of pushing back the frontiers of medical science in a purely academic fashion in a developing country like Nigeria.
All reputable research must first and foremost be registered by the College, or Faculty and in turn by the University who should approve any research proposal for research work in the University.
The question is how did the Dean of the School of Basic Sciences use the University equipment and carried out research in the university for about two years unknown to the University authority? Where there papers published in reputable journals in the development of this anti-HIV agent known to the University authority or the College of Medical sciences?
The criticisms by the National Agency for Food, Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) who refuted the claims by the Dean of School of Basic Medical Sciences of the University of Benin, Prof. Isaiah Ibeh, that he has invented a cure for the treatment of HIV/AIDS can only be correct if the stage of the anti-HIV/AIDs drug is ascertained correctly because the drug may be in a stage that does not require the Professor to disclose it to NAFDAC but not the University authority.
If Prof Ibeh's work is before pre-clinical trial stage then the criticisms will be unwarranted but if his work has gone beyond the preclinical trial stage, then the criticisms will be in order. Only Prof Ibeh can tell us the exact stage of his research work.
This ascertainment is what is needed to be done by eminent professors from the Pharmaceutical industry, the University and representatives of NAFDAC because it is very unlikely that a Dean of the University of Benin will make the mistake of going to the press without any substance in his research work. It is good to give him the benefit of the doubt because for too often we set aside indigenous efforts without good reasons. The fact that Prof Ibeh may not have followed due processes in going to the press to announce his research findings does not preclude there is no substance whatsoever in his claim so I appeal for a second look at his research work.
Most of the therapeutic agents in use have been obtained from natural substances like herbs and plants and Deconcotion X (DX) Liquid or Bioclean 11 may not be different. Recently a Nigerian of Edo State origin developed Edotide an efficacious anti-diabetic agent from the common bitter leaf from his work at the Jackson State University and Edo Botanic laboratories in the USA.
We should congratulate the Vice Chancellor Prof. Osayuki Oshodin and the University of Benin in the handling of the issue of Prof Isah Ibeh's unfortunate press conference and the successful sting operation to weed out corrupt lecturers from the University in handing the Assistant Dean and Senior Lecturer in the Faculty of Law to the police for corrupt practices and putting the University into disrepute
We hope this breeze of exposing and routing the corrupt from Benin and Edo State will spread to other Nigerian States of the Federation facilitating a Nigerian nation that has integrity and the deserved respect in the community of nations. It is only Nigerians that can make Nigeria a great nation by fighting the ills in the society.
SEO Ogbonmwan KSC
©January 2013.
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