New Delhi, Dec 29 (IANS) A total of 108 laboratories have been approved for quality testing of Ayurvedic, Siddha and Unani drugs, said Ayush Minister Prataprao Jadhav.

The Minister noted that these labs are approved or licensed under the provisions of the Drugs Rules, 1945

Further, 34 State Drug Testing Laboratories have been supported for strengthening their infrastructural and functional capacity. Three Regional Research Institutions of the Central Council for Research in Ayurveda Sciences are also approved under Rule 160E of the Drugs Rules 1945.

“The Pharmacovigilance Programme for Ayurvedic, Siddha, Unani and Homoeopathy (ASU & H) drugs has been implemented under Central Sector Scheme Ayush Oushadhi Gunavatta Evam Uttpadan Samvardhan Yojana (AOGUSY), which works through a three-tier network of a National Pharmacovigilance Centre (NPvCC), Five Intermediary Pharmacovigilance Centers (IPvCs) and 97 Peripheral Pharmacovigilance Centers (PPvCs) established across the country,” the Minister said.

“These centres are mandated to monitor and report misleading advertisements to the respective State Regulatory Authorities for suitable action against the defaulter,” he added.

The programme aims to keep vigilance over Ayush drugs and to reduce misleading advertisements to ensure consumer protection and prevent the dissemination of unverified claims by Ayush product manufacturers.

“Till date 3,533 awareness programmes have been conducted with 3,18,575 beneficiaries across the country,” Jadhav said.

The Ministry of Ayush also encourages certifications for Ayush products. These include the scheme for Certification of Pharmaceutical Product (CoPP) as per World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines; the quality certifications scheme implemented by the Quality Council of India (QCI).

The Central sector scheme AOGUSY has been implemented with a total financial allocation of Rs 122.00 crores for five years from 2021-22 to 2025-26. One of the components of this scheme is to strengthen and upgrade Ayush Pharmacies and Drug Testing Laboratories to achieve higher standards.

–IANS

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