Civil Society Network on Hepatitis in Nigeria (CISNHN) has distanced itself from public endorsement of Namadvir as a herbal remedy for the treatment of hepatitis B.
It noted that the drugs hasn’t undergone the rigorous clinical trials required to establish its safety and efficacy in human beings living with the disease.
Recall that the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency, had on July 28,2026, unveiled the product during an official visit by the Minister of Innovation, Science and Technology Dr Kingsley Tochukwu Udeh, to the agency’s headquarters in Lagos, certifying the herbal product as hepatitis b, treatment. .
But the National Coordinator of CISNHN, Dr Nseabasi Ekanem, in a statement issued in Uyo on Monday faulted the endorsement which he noted was ahead of, rather than after, the clinical evaluation which determines it safety and efficacy
According to him such endorsement not only risks giving patients false hope,but could also discourage them from continuing with proven, evidence-based care, and sets a troubling precedent for how new therapies are communicated to the public.
He therefore called for the establishment of a Clinical Observational Research Centre to accelerate clinical trials, noting that reports indicated that the Agency’s own presentation referenced laboratory (in-vitro) studies.
The statement in parts, “The Civil Society Network on Hepatitis in Nigeria has noted with concern the recent public unveiling, by the Nigeria Natural Medicine Development Agency (NNMDA), of a herbal product named Namdavir, presented to Nigerians as a treatment for Hepatitis B.
“From all information publicly available to us, Namdavir has not been subjected to the rigorous clinical trials required to establish its safety and efficacy in human beings living with Hepatitis B.
“As an organisation working directly with millions of Nigerians living with viral hepatitis, we consider it deeply concerning that a product can be announced to the public as a treatment for a serious viral infection ahead of, rather than after, the clinical evaluation that would normally determine whether it is safe and effective.
“This sequence risks giving patients false hope, may discourage them from continuing proven, evidence-based care, and sets a troubling precedent for how new therapies are communicated to the public.
“We therefore dissociate ourselves entirely from any endorsement, implied or otherwise, of Namdavir as a treatment for Hepatitis B.”
He urged members of the public particularly people living with hepatitis B, not to discontinue or substitute their existing care for the product until it has been evaluated and approved by the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC)
He also called on the NNMDA and the Federal Ministry of Innovation, Science and Technology to complete full clinical evaluation of Namdavir, and publish the results transparently, before further public promotion of the product.
He emphasized that CISNHN would continue to support the development of local pharmaceutical and natural medicine capacity in Nigeria, and oversee how any product offered to the public as treatment for a life-threatening viral infection must first meet the standard of proof that protects patients adding that it remains available to engaging constructively with NNMDA, NAFDAC, and the Ministry on the matter.
