UI Don Calls for Increased Use of Indigenous Plants in Pharmaceutical Production

A Professor of Pharmaceutics at the University of Ibadan, Professor Adenike Okunlola, has called for increased investment in research and development of pharmaceutical excipients from indigenous plants.

She made the call while delivering the 628th Inaugural Lecture of the University of Ibadan on behalf of the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, titled From Flora to Formulation: Harnessing Polymers from Indigenous Plants as Excipients for Drug Delivery.

Professor Okunlola said Nigeria can reduce its dependence on imported raw materials while improving access to affordable medicines.

She stressed that harnessing native flora as pharmaceutical excipients is strategic and no longer optional, noting that polymers from indigenous plants possess functional properties suitable for use as excipients in specific dosage forms.

She added that when properly characterised, standardised and validated, these plant-based polymers can meet international quality requirements while offering advantages such as biocompatibility, biodegradability and local availability.

According to her, realising this potential requires deliberate action, sustained investment in research, robust collaboration between academia and industry, and supportive regulatory frameworks to ensure quality, safety and consistency.

She explained that development of plant-based excipients is more than a scientific pursuit, describing it as a pathway to self-reliance, economic growth and improved access to affordable medicines, thereby advancing public health and national development.

Professor Okunlola said Nigeria's rich plant resources offer significant opportunities for locally sourced pharmaceutical materials which, with science, investment and appropriate policies, can become a foundation for pharmaceutical innovation.

She highlighted years of research into starches, gums, mucilages and other polymers obtained from indigenous plants and their potential applications in modern drug-delivery systems.

She noted that although pharmaceutical excipients are traditionally described as inactive ingredients, they are essential to the performance of medicines, as active pharmaceutical ingredients must be incorporated into appropriate dosage forms with carefully selected excipients to ensure effectiveness, stability, patient acceptability and controlled drug release.

She explained that excipients perform functions ranging from binding and disintegration to stabilisation, taste masking and controlled drug release, adding that plant-derived polymers including starches, gums, mucilages and pectin can regulate how medicines are released and absorbed.

The Don said indigenous crops as sources of pharmaceutical raw materials can broaden the range of functional excipients available to local manufacturers, noting that modification of natural polymers can produce materials suited to specific pharmaceutical applications.

She emphasised that indigenous materials must undergo rigorous scientific characterisation and physicochemical and biological evaluation before development into pharmaceutical products.

She submitted that research into indigenous pharmaceutical excipients should be viewed as a national development priority rather than merely an academic exercise, warning that dependence on imported raw materials exposes the industry to supply-chain challenges, foreign-exchange pressures and rising production costs.

Developing validated local alternatives, she argued, could promote pharmaceutical self-reliance, strengthen the connection between agriculture and manufacturing, create economic opportunities and potentially reduce the cost of medicines.

Professor Okunlola advocated investment in modern analytical and characterisation facilities and stronger collaboration between universities, research institutes and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

She called on Government to establish policies that encourage development and gradual adoption of locally sourced excipients, proposing incentives for companies using validated local raw materials, support for processing equipment and stronger public-private partnerships to move discoveries from laboratory to commercial production.

She also advocated closer integration of agriculture with the pharmaceutical value chain so indigenous crops can become sources of high-value pharmaceutical materials.

She emphasised that the future of pharmaceutical innovation should not be limited to discovering new drugs alone, but should include discovering locally available materials capable of delivering those drugs safely, effectively and affordably.

The lecture was the 24th in the series for the 2025/2026 academic session.