---

It was quite a paradox that while Chinese herbal medicine made deep inroads in to the global  market of alternative medicine, even in India, Ayurveda was held at the gate for lack of standardisation and documentation. That it happened to a science which was the health keeper to a nation for more than 4000 years was reason enough for all the stakeholder to introspect seriously about. However, Kerala Industrial Infrastructure Development Corporation (Kinfra), in association with a host of manufacturers, has made a small but significant step towards remedying this situation by setting up a unique facility for standardisation, documentation and quality control.

CARe-Keralam Ltd, a special purpose vehicle formed by Kinfra and a consortium of Ayurvedic product manufacturers in Kerala, is mandated to create infrastructure facilities for standardisation of ayurvedic medicines and services and help the sector take advantage of its growth potential through a cluster-based approach. The first phase of the project is all set for commissioning now. Facilities for raw material supply, quality control and research and development have already been completed at a cost of Rs. 16 crore,Sponsored by Department of Ayush, Government of India, the facilities are set up on a two-hectare land in Kinfra Park, Koratty in Thrissur district.

The project had its genesis in the realisation that despite its status as the cradle of Ayurveda having nurtured one of the most authentic versions, Kerala’s share in the industry is less than 2 per cent in India. Given the fact that Kerala has more than 200 GMP- certified Ayurvedic product manufacturers, Kerala should have been able to exploit the increasing demand for holistic medicine such as Ayurveda the world over. The single most important factor that has come in the way of Ayurveda’s advent across the globe has been the lack of organised efforts in standardisation in all areas of operation such as formulations, treatment protocols, research and development, marketing, cultivation of raw material and documentation. It may be remembered that the Chinese traditional medicine has been well accepted and is recording tremendous growth across markets, even in India!

CARe-Keralam seeks to reverse this trend and handhold entrepreneurs in the Ayurveda sector through a targeted and combined effort, according to Dr Joy Varghese, chief executive officer, CARe Keralam. It has set out certain specific targets for itself which include upgradation of the process technology of Ayurvedic drugs so as to make them acceptable in the international market, development of a Centre for Excellence for Research, establishing a Kerala brand of Ayurvedic products, training manufactures on safety, quality and efficacy, protection of IPR of Ayurvedic manufacturers and the enrichment of the resource base by encouraging farmers to take up plantations of medicinal plants

The full-fledged analytical lab with all modern facilities for analytical testing, method development and contract research will provide reliable, dependable, economical and timely analytical results for the samples given by the entrepreneurs, according to Dr Joy Varghese. The Toxicology Study Centre will undertake evaluation of the toxicity and adverse drug reaction of the herbal preparations. It will also undertake the long-term toxicity, mutagenicity and genotoxicity of the formulations. The studies will be on direct toxic effects, allergic reactions and other side-effects, effects from contaminants and/or interactions with drugs and other herbs.

The risk-benefit ratio of the herbal drugs will also be examined. An animal house is also part of the Centre. The Process Validation Lab, another key component of the project, will provide laboratory facilities for research and development to small and medium enterprises. Facilities are also available for scaling up of various processes developed through process validation. The mini lab will be used for ascertaining the quality of the materials procured. When the raw materials are brought, the samples of raw material will be drawn and brought to the mini lab for quality testing. Only those raw materials which pass the quality test in the lab will be forwarded to the raw material store.

The raw material store and mini lab will help reduce exploitation of small and medium scale manufacturers by the middlemen engaged in the supply of raw materials, said Dr Varghese.The Common Facility Center for Production and Packaging is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment to carry out testing and certification, measurement, quality and safety certification and certain key processes, which small manufacturers cannot afford individually. The Common Facility Centre can be used by the entrepreneurs to produce high quality products to meet international standards with respect to hygiene, product specification and quality.

The establishment of the facilities would ensure the standardisation of raw material input, manufacturing process and end products. This would help in upgrading the of quality of products manufactured by these companies, which in turn, shall be brought under the umbrella of a common label, while retaining the brand name of the individual manufacturers. It is expected that the products that meet the quality standards would gradually gain acceptance in the market as ‘quality products’ in Ayurveda.

CARe-Keralam has at present a representation of 83 manufacturers which include large, medium and small scale manufacturers. “We hope that once operational, the facilities will demonstrate its advantages, thereby attracting more entrepreneurs,” said Dr Varghese. “Going forward, we will also set up an information technology and marketing infrastructure.” The plan is to make use of technology for documentation which will help the product reach international markets, he said.

---

Related Articles

Kerala Tourism holds road shows in Europe

Kerala receives award for ‘Best Honeymoon Destination’

Treating alcoholism

Sobha Hermitage Home Away from Home

Vaajeekarana for procreation

Alcohol The good and the bad