The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given its approval to re-establish Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) as a sub-ordinate office of the AYUSH Ministry by merging it with the Pharmacopoeia Laboratory for Indian Medicine (PLIM) and Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeia Laboratory (HPL).

PCIM&H was established in 2010 as an autonomous organisation under the AYUSH ministry with the primary mandate of publishing pharmacopoeias (official publications containing a list of medicinal drugs with their effects and also the directions for their use) and formularies for drugs/formulations used in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani, and Homeopathy system of Medicines.

The merger with the two central laboratories based in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, is aimed at optimizing the use of infrastructural facilities, technical manpower and financial resources of the three organizations for enhancing the standardization outcomes of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs towards their effective regulation and quality control.

The measure will facilitate focused and cohesive development of standards of AYUSH drugs and publication of pharmacopoeias and formularies. It is also intended to accord legal status to the merged structure of PCIM&H and its laboratory by virtue of making necessary amendment and enabling provisions in the Drugs & Cosmetics Rules, 1945.

“PLIM & HPL being the subordinate offices and PCIM&H- an autonomous organization under Ministry of AYUSH are going to be merged to establish PCIM&H, as a subordinate office of the Ministry with a common administrative control,” an official statement said.

Post-merger PCIM&H will have adequate administrative structure under the Ministry to strive for augmenting the capacity and outcomes of pharmacopoeia work, achieving harmonization of pharmacopoeia standards of Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy drugs, preventing duplication and overlapping of drug standardization work and optimal utilization of resources in effective manner.