Effective collaboration necessary for standard herbal products

The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the COA Research and Manufacturing Limited, Prof. Samuel Ato Duncan, has called for more effective academia-industry-traditional practice collaboration in herbal medicine development to promote efficiency in product outcomes and promotion.

He said about 70 per cent of Ghanaians used traditional medicines and it was important to harness traditional and scientific knowledge to further optimise the potential of traditional medicine for national development.

Prof. Duncan, who is also the president of the Ghana Federation of Traditional Practitioners Association (GHAFTRAM), said it was important to bridge the gap between traditional and orthodox medicines to improve the health of the people.

Prof. Duncan was addressing the Medical Superintendents Group of Ghana during their visit to the COA Research and Manufacturing Company Limited premises at Wusorkrom in the Abura Asebu Kwamankese District of the Central Region last Thursday.

Harnessing potentials

He indicated that health care in the country could be revolutionised if such collaboration was effectively nurtured towards promoting herbal medicine, adding that the immense potential of herbal medicine must be efficiently harnessed through science for Ghana and the world.

"We need to use science to develop whatever we are doing here so that it would receive international recognition," he added.

He acknowledged that like any other sector, there were "bad nuts", saying efforts were being made to sanitise the system and to adopt the use of scientific data and parameters to guide the production and use of herbal medicines.

He said COA RMCL had collaborated with various international institutions around the world, which had given it credibility in many countries, adding that GHAFTRAM was working towards such collaborations.

Prof. Duncan invited more collaborators, saying COA RMCL was working on investigations and trials on Ebola, COVID-19 and hepatitis to find medical solutions to such infections.

Protect plants

Prof. Duncan also stressed the need to protect the nation's plants, saying they were critical to our existence.

"We cannot live without plants but we can live without gold.

At the end of the day, if we are able to bring out medication from plants and package them for the international market, I tell you, honestly, Ghana will have another gold or have something more than gold.

"We should protect the plants that we have, harness the potential, package them with science and send them out  to get foreign exchange to better Ghana,” he stated.

He said the GHAFTRAM was establishing systems to enhance toxicity testing and standards to improve the acceptance of herbal medicines worldwide.

Prof. Duncan expressed gratitude for the Medical Superintendents’ Group’s endorsement and said “We are committed to producing high-quality herbal medicines that meet international standards.”

He further showcased the company’s existing products, including COA Mixture, COA Plu and COA MT mixture, and said products such as COA capsules, COA energy water, COA balm and COA ointment were in the offing.

The President of the Medical Superintendents’ Group of Ghana, Dr Kamarudeen Korku Hussein, commended COA RMCL for its leadership journey in the development of herbal medicine, saying it had the potential to transform the healthcare sector of Ghana.

He commended COA’s commitment to research and development, which ensured their products met international standards, and urged the government to support the herbal medicine industry through policies and regulations.