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.