Ayurvedamagazine

Tag: Challenges

  • Ayurveda globalization to unveil vast opportunities: Dr S Sajikumar

    There is a vast growth opportunity for the Ayurveda sector if
    the rich potential of the traditional Indian medicinal system could be disseminated
    globally by addressing concerns of international society like “safety, efficacy
    and purity”, Dr S Sajikumar, Chief Physician & MD, Dhathri Ayurveda, said.

    “Every challenge is an opportunity … The global health crisis
    has led to much awareness of the preventive cure and Immunity development
    properties of Ayurveda among the global audience. It’s projected that the
    Indian Ayurveda market will witness a four-fold increase in growth in the next
    five years, touching one lakh crore by 2025,” the former Chairman, CII-Kerala,
    pointed out.

    “The Ayurvedic community has conviction about its efficacy
    and potential. Now efforts should be made for globalization of Ayurveda… For
    that we need a shared vision of the many stakeholders and make investments in
    strategic areas like Research and standards, Quality testing and adequate raw-material
    supply. The goal should be to develop Ayurveda globally as a parallel system
    (along with modern medicine) and not as an alternative one,” Sajikumar added.

    The topic ‘Ayurveda Medicine
    Manufacturing: Challenges and Opportunities post Covid-19’ was discussed in
    detail during the second episode of the National Webinar Series ‘AYUSHVICHAR’, organized
    by the Ayush Valley Foundation in association with the Ayurveda & Health
    Tourism Magazine on Saturday.

    “The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in breaking of the dogma (against traditional
    medicine) universally. Now people started believing in immunity and adopting
    the ‘Back to Nature’ strategy. The industry should stay in-tune with changing
    times. For instance, Ayurveda doctors should be more informed and understand
    medicinal chemistry or Immunology. The pharmaceutical industry should try new
    areas products like Immunity diagnostic kits,” observed Dr Hrishikesh Damle, MD
    & CEO, Atrimed Pharmaceuticals (P) Ltd.

    Dr Narasimham Jammi, CEO, Jammi Pharmaceuticals, stressed that time is
    right for making the world aware of the rich potential of Ayurveda and its
    treatment scope against a whole lot of diseases.

    “The effectiveness of ‘Rasaaushadi’ (mettalo medicine) in treating
    chronic medical conditions like Liver Cirrhosis should be highlighted. Similarly,
    the traditional medicinal system proves more handy in certain areas like Gynecological
    solutions or sexual wellness, thanks to it having no side-effects,” he said.

    However, challenges are many – standardization, burden of proof, bonafide
    raw-materials, quality control mechanism, Marketing savvy and Regulatory
    hurdles for exports among others.

    The intense parleys discussed how the global regulatory authorities take a
    biased approach against the Indian medicinal system which so far restricted its
    entry into the global market. “For instance, the FDA regulators wrongly criticized
    the Indian medicines, citing presence of heavy metals like Mercury. This without
    any knowledge of ‘Rasaaushadi’ and its safe treatment procedures. Our
    authorities should take measures in proving the safety and efficacy of such
    treatment systems through case studies globally,” said Dr Bhaswati
    Bhattacharya, a Fulbright Specialist in Public Health-Integrative Medicine at
    Weill Cornell Medical College, New York.

    The webinar was moderated by Dr Madan Thangavelu, noted Genome
    Biologist from the University of Cambridge, UK, and co-moderated by Dr
    Harikumar Bhaskaran Nair, Ayurvedic Physician, Research and Co-ordinator, NSS
    Ayurvedic Hospitals.

  • Webinar on ‘Ayurveda Medicine Manufacturing: Challenges and Opportunities’

    The Ayush Valley Foundation in association
    with the Ayurveda & Health Tourism Magazine will organise a webinar on ‘Ayurveda
    Medicine Manufacturing: Challenges and Opportunities post Covid-19’ on
    September 26.

    The nearly two-hour session, as part
    of the National Webinar Series ‘AYUSHVICHAR’, will be attended by experts in
    the field including Dr Hrishikesh Damle, MD & CEO, Atrimed Pharmaceuticals
    (P) Ltd, Dr S Sajikumar, Managing Director, Dhatri Ayurveda (P) Ltd and Dr
    Narasimham Jammi, CEO, Jammi Pharmaceuticals. The webinar will be
    moderated by Dr Madan Thangavelu, noted Genome Biologist from the University of
    Cambridge, UK, and co-moderated by Dr Harikumar Bhaskaran Nair, Ayurvedic
    Physician, Research and Co-ordinator, NSS Ayurvedic Hospitals.

    The Indian Ayurveda Industry is still
    lagging though the ancient healing system is increasingly being accepted,
    thanks to the immunity boosting properties and the holistic approach of treatment.
    While India is fast turning out to be the global hub of medicinal
    manufacturing, the local Ayurveda pharmaceutical market is just 10 per cent of
    its Allopathic counterpart, estimated to be around USD 20 billion. The same
    presents both opportunities and challenges.

    The experts will discuss the topic in
    detail and also the future opportunities in the segment during the virtual
    section which will commence at 4.30 IST on Saturday. For further details, log
    into http://www.ayushvalley.org/ .

    The first of the National Webinar
    series on the topic     ‘Validation and Documentation in Ayurveda’, held on August 22, evoked sharp
    response.       Dr D C
    Katoch, Joint Advisor, Indian Ministry of Ayush, enumerated the various measures
    taken by the government for development of Ayurveda, including standardisation,
    formation of essenti    Dr S Sajikumaral drugs list and extension of insurance coverage.

  • Promote research in accordance with Ayurveda principles: BHU professor

    Ayurveda, the traditional Indian medical science, is faced with many
    challenges and the need of the hour is to initiate actions to find lasting solutions
    to issues in areas like Education, Research, Translation and Integrative
    Medicine treatment, according to Professor Kishor Patwardhan, Faculty of Ayurveda,
    Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

    “At present, a sizable proportion of students opt for BAMS after
    failing to get into modern medicine courses. There is a dearth of good faculty
    and the application-based content in curriculum is minimum. Similarly, the PG/PhD
    level Research currently follows ‘One Disease-One Medicine’ approach. This is
    not how Ayurveda is practiced. Promote research that is in accordance to
    Ayurvedic principles,” he pointed out.

    Prof Kishor was speaking as a Panelist in an international webinar
    held on the topic ‘Freedom For Ayurveda – sequel 2’. The over three-hour
    virtual session was the fourth of the international webinar series being organized
    by The Ayush Valley Foundation in association with the Ayurveda & Health
    Tourism Magazine.

    He called for initiatives like Integrated 10-year BAMS/MBBS
    courses or having a common course for all medical graduates irrespective pf
    their streams.

    “There is not much enthusiasm for an evidence-based research in
    Ayurveda where most practitioners are satisfied with laid down     knowledge. This
    will prevent the system getting global recognition as the Allopathy community
    is not going to accept non-evidence based medicine,” said Dr Sintija Sausa,
    Faculty of Medicine, University of Latvia. She is currently engaged in exploring
    integrative medicine options by joining initiating research works with
    Ayurvedic experts.

    She called for measures to facilitate Ayurveda graduate students
    to have basic knowledge about modern medicine too.

    Another speaker Lea Kraemer, Governing Council Member, Yoga
    Unify, USA, noted that traditional medicines like Ayurveda and Yoga can be much
    effective as an integrative treatment option. “They can be used to alleviate
    side effects of Allopathy medicines while undergoing treatment for terminal
    diseases like cancer.”

    The session saw active participation of Ayurveda experts like Vaidya
    M Prasad, Dr N V Sreevaths and Mala Kapadia among others. “Research should be a
    broader word when we put it to the traditional wisdom. It should be more     accommodating in its meaning. It should be an effort to bring the good in the systems for a
    larger public and geographical boundary. For that the Gurus and Acharyas should
    not be put under the scanner of validation. Instead let the ayurvedic
    practitioners delve deep into Ayurvedic knowledge and their output analysed,” Prasad observed.

    The session was moderated by Dr Madan Thangavelu, University
    of Cambridge, UK, and co-hosted by Dr Bhaswati Bhattacharya, Director, The
    DINacharya Institute.

    In
    the first session on the topic held on August 14, Padma Shri Anant Darshan
    Shankar, Vice Chancellor, Transdisciplinary University, Bengaluru, had called
    for strategic interventions including policy formulation and better budgetary
    resource utilisation in key areas like Health services, Education and Research
    to facilitate the growth of Ayurveda.

    ENDs