New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) India is committed to enhancing global regulatory cooperation in the herbal medicines sector, said Vaidya Rajesh Kotecha, Secretary, Ministry of Ayush.

He was speaking at the three-day workshop at the WHO-International Regulatory Cooperation for Herbal Medicines (IRCH) organised by Ministry of Ayush.

In his inaugural address, Kotecha highlighted India’s leadership as the lead country for WHO-IRCH Working Group 1 on Safety and Regulation and Working Group 3 on Efficacy and Intended Use.

He also outlined key digital initiatives under the Ayush Grid, including the Ayush Suraksha Portal for real-time tracking of misleading advertisements and pharmacovigilance, and e-Aushadhi, an integrated IT platform for licensing of ASU&H medicines.

The workshop saw participants from Bhutan, Brunei, Cuba, Ghana, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, Paraguay, Poland, Sri Lanka and Uganda participated physically, while Brazil, Egypt, while the delegation from the US joined virtually.

The event featured detailed country presentations on safety, regulation, efficacy, and intended use of herbal medicines.

Expert lectures covered standardisation and quality control of herbal medicines, regulatory case studies, best practices in pre-clinical research, unique scenarios in herbal medicine research, WHO’s Traditional Medicine Strategy 2025–2034, registration of clinical trials, best practices in clinical trials, and pharmacovigilance from both WHO and Ayush perspectives.

Sessions also included discussions on the WHO Global Benchmark Tool for Herbal Medicines and case studies on the safety of Ashwagandha (Withania somnifera).

Hands-on laboratory training at Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicine & Homoeopathy (PCIM&H) familiarised participants with herbal drug standardisation techniques, including pharmacognostical identification and heavy/toxic metal analysis.

Exposure visits were organised to the National Institute of Unani Medicine in Ghaziabad, herbal gardens, greenhouses, polyhouses, raw drug repositories, museums at PCIM&H, and the All India Institute of Ayurveda, offering insights into India’s integrative health systems.

–IANS

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