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Export of Ayurveda drugs gets a boost as Swissmedic approves 41 substances of Ayurveda medicines
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Peethaambaran Kunnathoor, Chennai
July 27 , 2023
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In the wake of increasing awareness about the Indian traditional medicines, especially Ayurveda, in western countries, the Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine and Homeopathy (PCIM&H) is learnt to have taken steps with the Government of Switzerland to accord recognition for Ayurveda drugs, a category of Asian traditional medicines.
According to information received from reliable sources, 41 substances of Ayurveda medicines have been recently recognized by Swissmedic, the Swiss authority responsible for the authorization and supervision of therapeutic products, and were included into the list of Traditional Asian Substances (TAS) approved by the Switzerland government.
With this, the Indian companies registered in Switzerland for exports of Ayurveda products can develop and market Ayurveda pharmaceuticals manufactured out of these 41 recognized substances in Switzerland. The inclusion of 41 substances came into effect from July 1, 2023, and accordingly the Swiss agency’s ‘Ordinance on Complementary and Herbal Medicinal Products’ has been revised.
However, more clarity is required in the conditions of the approval as experts in Ayurveda and exporters from Kerala have told Pharmabiz that the notification does not provide clear-cut information about whether the manufacturers of India can manufacture the products in India and export to Switzerland, or manufacture the drugs in their facilities.
“It is a gray area and it needs to be clearly defined and confusions should be avoided. I understand that the medicines should be manufactured in Switzerland and marketed there. As far as the Indian companies are concerned it is not possible to take all the raw materials to Switzerland and produce the medicines there by complying with their rules and regulations. The Union Ayush Ministry has to clarify it and the pharmacopoeia commission should consult this with the Swissmedic and define it accordingly,” says Dr. VA Venugopal, an Ayurveda medicine exporter in Thrissur.
He said Ayurveda products have a fast-growing market in all European Union countries and the Switzerland government’s initiative to approve Ayurveda is a major milestone in the growth of Indian traditional medicine worldwide.
Dr. V Gopal, Professor of Pharmacognosy at the Government Pharmacy College in Pondicherry has commented that with this approval of the Ayurveda substances by the Switzerland government, the Indian systems of medicines have become International systems of medicines. This will help for more research in the traditional system of Ayurveda globally and the small scale industry engaged in the production of traditional medicines can develop their business internationally and become global players gradually. He said the Indian systems of medicines are holistic medicines which find out the reasons for the diseases and cure them.
Meanwhile, Dr.Vemula Bhanu Prakash, coordinator of Impcops in Andhra Pradesh, said the Indian Medical Practitioners Cooperative Pharmacy and Stores Ltd (Impcops) in Chennai will approach the Union Ayush Ministry for more clarity on the issue and write to the Government of Switzerland for marketing of Ayurveda medicines there.
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