The Department of AYUSH is in the process of consulting experts in the field of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani for strengthening the regulatory framework in the area of science and technology related to developing ASU medicines.

The experts in the field of botany, phytochemistry, biochemistry and the ASU drugs industry are also being consulted for this purpose. The new regulatory parameters will be in addition to the existing pharmacopoeial standards and guidelines under the Drugs and Cosmetics Act, sources said.

Department sources said, the new measures have helped popularizing the use of chromatographic fingerprint profiles and use of active therapeutic ingredients and marker compounds for standardization and quality control of herbal and herbo-mineral preparations in the ASU drugs industry.

Besides, the National Medicinal Plants Board (NMPB) is examining how best to adopt god agricultural and collection practices for collection and cultivation of medicinal plants for ensuring quality raw material for ASU medicines, in view of environmental pollution.

Efforts would be made to ensure that new norms planned in this regard do not affect the forest dwellers and small landholders engaged in collection and cultivation, sources added.

Apart from the Homoeopathic Pharmacopoeial Laboratory, 13 other reputed laboratories are currently engaged in laying down pharmacopoeial standards and preparation of monographs and for evolving Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for ASU drugs, sources said. Pharmacopoeial committees are also looking into the aspects of quality, purity and strength of drugs besides approval for drug formularies.