UI Professor Urges Investment in Indigenous Plants for Pharmaceutical Production

A Professor of Pharmaceutics at the University of Ibadan (UI), Professor Adenike Okunlola, has called for increased investment in research and development to produce pharmaceutical excipients from indigenous plants, stressing that the initiative could reduce Nigeria’s dependence on imported raw materials and improve access to affordable medicines.

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

Professor Okunlola described the utilisation of native and indigenous plants as pharmaceutical excipients as a strategic necessity rather than an option. She explained that polymers obtained from various indigenous plants possess functional properties that make them suitable for use as excipients in specific dosage forms.

According to her, when properly characterised, standardised and validated, these plant-based polymers can meet international quality requirements while offering additional benefits, including biocompatibility, biodegradability and local availability.

She noted that realising this potential would require deliberate action, sustained investment in research, strong collaboration between academia and industry, and supportive regulatory frameworks to guarantee the quality, safety and consistency of the resulting products.

The professor explained that developing plant-based excipients goes beyond scientific research, describing it as a pathway to self-reliance, economic growth and improved access to affordable medicines, with significant implications for public health and national development.

She added that Nigeria’s rich plant resources present considerable opportunities for developing locally sourced pharmaceutical materials. With adequate scientific research, investment and appropriate policies, she said, these resources could become a foundation for pharmaceutical innovation and national self-reliance.

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

She said these plant-derived materials demonstrate how Nigeria’s botanical resources could be transformed into functional pharmaceutical technologies. Although pharmaceutical excipients are traditionally described as inactive ingredients, she emphasised that they are essential to the performance of medicines.

The inaugural lecturer explained that drugs are rarely administered as pure chemical substances. Instead, 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 noted that excipients perform several functions, including binding, disintegration, stabilisation, taste masking and controlled drug release. Plant-derived polymers such as starches, gums, mucilages and pectin, she added, can help regulate how medicines are released and absorbed in the body.

The Professor of Pharmaceutics stated that using indigenous crops as sources of pharmaceutical raw materials could expand the range of functional excipients available to local manufacturers. She also explained that modifying natural polymers could produce materials with properties suited to specific pharmaceutical applications.

However, she stressed that indigenous materials must undergo rigorous scientific characterisation, as well as biological and physicochemical evaluation, before they can be developed into pharmaceutical products.

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

She maintained that developing validated local alternatives could promote pharmaceutical self-reliance, strengthen the relationship between agriculture and manufacturing, create economic opportunities and potentially reduce the cost of medicines.

According to her, the concept of moving “from flora to formulation” represents more than converting plant materials into pharmaceutical ingredients. It offers a potential pathway from agriculture to industry, from research to innovation, and from indigenous resources to improved public health.

To achieve these goals, Professor Okunlola advocated investment in modern analytical and characterisation facilities, alongside stronger collaboration among universities, research institutes and pharmaceutical manufacturers.

She also called on the government to establish policies that encourage the development and gradual adoption of locally sourced pharmaceutical excipients.

Among the measures she proposed were incentives for pharmaceutical companies that use validated local raw materials, support for processing equipment and stronger public-private partnerships to move promising discoveries from laboratories into commercial production.

The professor further advocated closer integration of agriculture into the pharmaceutical value chain, explaining that indigenous crops could become sources of high-value pharmaceutical materials.

She emphasised that the future of pharmaceutical innovation should not be restricted to discovering new drugs but should also involve identifying new, locally available materials capable of delivering medicines safely, effectively and affordably.

The lecture was the 24th in the University of Ibadan’s inaugural lecture series for the 2025/2026 academic session.