The Ghana Federation of Traditional Medicine Practitioners Association (GHAFTRAM) has accused the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR), an institution for research into herbal medicine, of claiming ownership of herbal drugs presented for research by the association.

According to the Association, they have lost utmost trust in the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) and that they believe they are not being treated fairly by the research institution.

This comment by the association comes after the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), the National Medicine Regulatory Agency (NMRA) in Ghana, announced that it had approved herbal medicine, Cryptolepis sanguino/enta, locally known as Nibima for clinical trials in 2021.

According to the FDA, researchers from the School of Public Health at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, (KNUST), submitted a clinical trial application in September 2020 to assess the safety and efficacy of Cryptolepis sanguinolenta as a potential treatment for Covid-19.

A statement signed by the Chief Executive Officer of the FDA, Delese A. A. Darko (Mrs.), said Ghana’s medicines regulatory system is well functioning and integrates all required elements to guarantee its stable performance, thereby ensuring the safety, quality and efficacy of all medical products imported, exported, manufactured or distributed in the country including the regulation of the conduct of clinical trials.

Speaking to host of Atinka FM’s ‘AM Drive’ with host, Kaakyire Ofori Ayim, GHAFTRAM Secretary for Nana K Obiri explained that the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR) has developed the habit of declaring most drugs by GHATFRAM as not suitable for the market.

“Most of the drugs by CPMR are ours. They have over the past years engaged in a rivalry with us are competing with us, especially in the markets. The Cryptolepis sanguino/enta, locally known as Nibima is part of the drugs we presented to the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR). We are very much informed that the drug was sent to KNUST by the Centre for Plant Medicine Research (CPMR)”, he added.