{
  "id": 6433575,
  "title": "Africa risks consuming medicines not adequately tested on its people — Neuroscientist",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/africa-risks-consuming-medicines-not-adequately-tested-on-its-people",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-09T14:59:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Daily Post Nigeria",
    "slug": "daily-post-nigeria",
    "url": "https://dailypost.ng/2026/09/09/africa-risks-consuming-medicines-not-adequately-tested-on-its-people-neuroscientist/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Nigerian neuroscientist Professor Mahmoud Bukar Maina has cautioned that Africans might continue to use medicines developed without rigorous testing on African populations. This could leave patients uncertain about the drug's effectiveness and potential side effects, Maina explained at the 23rd Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Neuroscience Society of Nigeria in Abuja. Maina emphasized that the issue extends beyond dementia research to encompass all aspects of medicine development, where African participants are often underrepresented in clinical trials. He stated, \"Oftentimes, the side effect, you know, is because when the drug was being developed, from the preclinical level to the clinical level, it has never been tested in our own people. So we are consumers, instead of us driving our own needs.\" Maina called for increased investment in research that addresses Africa's unique health needs, citing the continent's genetic diversity as a reason why locally generated evidence is crucial. He highlighted that African patients are projected to experience a 348 percent rise in dementia cases over the next 25 years, yet less than one percent of dementia research globally had been conducted in Africa up to 2022. Maina, who directs the Biomedical Science Research and Training Centre at Yobe State University, is committed to generating locally relevant evidence. His lab uses induced pluripotent stem-cell technology to grow brain cells from African participants, enabling the examination of disease processes at the cellular level. However, Maina emphasized that funding is the most significant obstacle in brain research, along with a lack of equipment, laboratory resources, and collaboration opportunities. He urged stakeholders to prioritize brain research to improve population health, productivity, and economic growth.",
  "summary": "Professor Mahmoud Bukar Maina, a Nigerian neuroscientist, has warned that Africans could continue to consume medicines developed without adequate testing on African populations, leaving patients exposed to treatments whose effects may not be fully understood in the continent. Maina said the problem was not limited to dementia research but extended to medicine development, where African […] Africa…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}