It is essential for every continent to commemorate the names of its trailblazers. For Africa, there is Dr. Hadiza Nuhu, a Pharmaceutical Scientist from the city of Kano in Nigeria. By 1988, she was already a lecturer and researcher at the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Six years later, she was delving into a vast corpus of academic literature in search of herbs with antiplasmodial properties.
Over thirty plants were considered, and sample number 25, with the combination of Azadirachta Indica, was found to be promising. This sample was selected for further studies, which later led to the discovery of the drug Herb 25.
Herbal medications, over the years, have come under serious scrutiny because of their lack of standardized dosing systems. Herb 25, on the other hand, is the product of painstaking research and toxicity studies. Two grams of the herb taken at 12-hour intervals for five to seven days can alleviate the symptoms of malaria in an adult.
For young Hadiza, the motivation lay in the fact that there is a need to provide alternative medicine for the poor population that can't afford orthodox malaria medications.
In her words "It was all about what you can give back to society. The Ph.D. title feels hollow when you've not impacted your society."
Genetics, I think, transcends chromosomes. Hadiza's father was a Community Mallam who dedicated his life to teaching the Quran. This industrious teacher was renowned for his ability to teach from dawn until the first sign of dusk.
Many things could have stopped this daring spirit, but womanhood was not one of them. Hadiza didn't want to accept the societal prejudice that women are individuals with "small minds". With eleven children to her name, she was able to balance the rigors of research with those of familial origin.
After reading Shoe Dog by the Founder of Nike, I realized that the entrepreneurial journey was not for the fainthearted. Hadiza, like Mr. Knight, suffered the skepticism of their loved ones. Often, her children would wonder why she was investing all her money into this seemingly futile endeavor.
Seven years after the turn of the century, this effort would prove profitable. Herb 25, after undergoing safety and toxicity evaluation, was found worthy of registration by The National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC). Making it the first drug to be registered by NAFDAC at any Nigerian university.
In 2008, Hadiza rose to wide acclaim when the then President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Late) Alhaji Umar Musa Yar’adua, GCFR, bestowed upon her the national honor of “Officer of the Order of the Niger."
We have finally gotten an Antimalaria drug that is produced in Nigeria by Nigerians from Nigerian natural resources which has been proven to be excellent both in terms of safety and efficacy.
Dr. Hadiza Nuhu, Pharmaceutical Scientist
Fifteen years have since passed, and Herb 25 has enjoyed widespread use across the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria. With a distribution center in Kumasi, Ghana, and efforts underway to make the tea bags into tablets and syrups, I can confidently say the future has many things in store for this remarkable invention.
