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Ayush ministry approves CCRAS policy for commercialising newly developed ayurvedic drugs
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Arun Sreenivasan, New Delhi
January 17 , 2019
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Newly developed ayurvedic medications would reach pharmacy shelves at a
quicker pace as the Ayush ministry has finalised a new policy to
streamline and expedite their commercialisation process. The guidelines
prepared by the Central Council of Research in Ayurvedic Sciences
(CCRAS) focus on transferring technology to industry, calculating
royalty and resolving intellectual property rights issues.
The
new provisions for commercialising products, technologies and processes
have been approved by Union minister of state for Ayush Shripad Naik.
The
CCRAS, an autonomous body under the ministry, has been developing and
validating drugs and technologies at its in-house facilities and in
tie-up with various research organisations. The technologies developed
by the council are being commercialised through National Research
Development Corporation (NRDC). The licensing of technologies to drug
manufacturing companies is a source of revenue for both CCRAS and NRDC
in terms of lumpsum fee and royalty. The new policy is expected to
expedite the transfer by setting clear-cut guidelines.
As per the
policy document reviewed by Pharmabiz, technologies are grouped into
three categories – independently developed, collaborative efforts and
value-added tech. While the royalty is set at 4% of ex-factory sales,
lumpsum premium would be calculated on a case-to-case basis depending on
commercial viability and translational value. The CCRAS’ efforts to
develop scientific assessment tools and parameters for ayurvedic
products assumes significance, as according to official figures, India,
with 15 agro-climatic zones, is home to around 7,000 medicinal plants.
The market for herbal products is pegged at Rs.
50,000 crore, growing at a fast rate of 15 per cent annually. The
sector is being driven by the release of good manufacturing practices
for dietary supplements by the FDA, an ageing global population and
escalating cost of modern medicinal system.
In the last two
years, the council has successfully commercialised products such as
Ayush-82 for type –II diabetes and Ayush SG for rheumatoid arthritis.
These formulations are already available in the market and are cost
effective compared to other forms of therapy. The CCRAS has also
developed new drugs for different ailments. Formulations such as Ayush
Manas for cognitive deficit, Ayush QOL for cancer patients and Ayush K1
for chronic kidney problems are at different phases of development.
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