Medical expert disagrees with NIMR on discrimination against PLWHA

Professor Maduike Ezeibe of the Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike Abia State, who invented MSAMS for the cure of HIV/AIDS, yesterday, disagreed with Director-General of the Nigeria Institute for Medical Research (NIMR), Prof. Babatunde Salako, for describing him (Ezeibe) as being dishonest over the clinical trail of his drug.

He reacted to the report published on pages 8 and 9 of The Guardian on Sunday, titled: Global Response Off Track Amid Rise In Sitigmatiasation, Discrimination Against PLWHA.

Salako had queried Ezeibe for not waiting for the conclusion of the trail before sending a manuscript for publication in a journal, which made NIMR to dissociate itself from being part of the publication.

NIMAR Director of Research and Scientific Adviser to the DG of NIMR, Prof. Oliver Ezechi in the report corroborated Salako’S stance, saying although NIMR was working on Ezeibe’s invention, he (Ezeibe) granted interview to the press and publish an article in a journal claiming that the medicine works without the institute’s permission.

He described the claim as untrue stating that although NIMR was yet to finish the study, preliminary findings showed that the drug did not reduce viral load.

Ezechi said it was laughable for Ezeibe to allege that the NIMR was trying to steal his patent even after helping him to get the patent through its Ethics Committee, saying: “The situation is that he used the names of researchers in the institute without their permission as being part of his study.”

But in a swift response, Ezeibe asked the Nigerian press to follow up the case and expose the truth, insisting that the drug was capable of transforming the country.

“Imagine that the drug is confirmed to cure COVID-19. They said I am dishonest and that they are conducting a trial on the drug. Where did he get the data?

“If Nigeria is to make progress, we should be mindful of people we put in positions of trust,” he said, adding that a national research institute like the NIMR should not be headed by people who open their mouths carelessly.