Pharmaceutical scientists participated in a seminar on Ayurveda system, conducted as part of the Pharma Technology Expo 2016 in Ahmadabad recently, have observed that application of novel drug delivery system, especially nanotechnology, to Ayurveda medicines will help enhance their efficacy.
The usefulness and effectiveness of several Ayurveda and other herbal formulations have already been authenticated unquestionably with the support of modern technology. So, nanotechnology can play a major role in proving efficacy of traditional medicines and it has to be experimented.
Further, the use of nanotechnology will enable development of more standardized herbal formulations with ensured reproducibility that complies with the requirements of healthcare regulatory authorities, said Dr Vandana B. Patravale, professor of pharmaceutics at the department of pharmaceutical sciences and technology, Institute of Chemical Technology, Mumbai.
While presenting a paper on ‘Nanotechnology in Ayurveda, new perspective and current need’, in the seminar, Dr Vandana said scientific analysis of various Ayurveda products has authenticated their potency and recognized that these drugs can cure various diseases. The scientific analytical report with efficacy proofs has shown similarity with novel drug delivery systems also. For example, she pointed out, the powder form, ‘bhasma’, (sookshma medicine) is the metallic nano-particles of the modern days.
However, she maintained that as a future requirement, the novel nanotechnology based herbal medicine development requires implementation of ‘quality by design’ approach to keep up with stringent standards of quality, safety and efficacy laid down by regulatory authorities. This includes sound science-based and risk-based understanding of the product that enables to attain, retain and revise the product quality throughout the product life cycle.
While endorsing the potency, the pharmaceutical scientist has commented that amongst various pharmaceuticals, herbal drug products face greater challenges due to variability in herbal sources, extracted API, excipients, process etc. So, it is an arduous task to maintain the quality of the desired herbal product during its reproduction.
According to Dr Vandana, several new Ayurveda and herbal drugs now available in the market and under research are nanotechnology based. Eighty per cent of the world population are now using herbal medicine, and the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended inclusion of herbal drugs in various national health programmes worldwide, she added.