The Centre has approved a proposal for setting up of a Pharmacopoeia Commission for Indian Medicines (PCIM) as an autonomous society under the Societies Registration Act.

The Union Cabinet on Thursday cleared the proposal for PCIM and also approved the creation of a post of director-cum-member secretary of the commission in the scale and grade pay of joint secretary, according to an official release.

The Pharmacopoeia Commission will have the responsibility of publication and revision of the Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani Pharmacopoeia as well as their formulations and also developing and publishing of standards of other plants and natural products relevant to Indian Systems of Medicine. It will develop standards for quality, identity and purity of raw materials and compound formulations as well as to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the manufacture of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani (ASU) drugs.

Other objectives of the Commission will include maintaining of a national repository of authentic reference raw materials used in the manufacture of Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani medicines and supply of reference standards to the stakeholders, generation and maintaining of repository of chemical reference marker compounds/extracts of the plants or other ingredients used in standardizing Ayurveda, Siddha and Unani medicines and supply them to the stakeholders.

Other mandates of the PCIM include preparation of monographs relating to medicinal plants available in the local health traditions of various communities in the country, ensuring furtherance of Chapter IV-A of Drugs and Cosmetic Act & Rules dealing with the quality standards related to ASU Drugs, promotion of research on quality, safety and efficacy of ASU drugs, creation of awareness about the quality in ASU drugs and formulations, and exchange of information and interaction with Pharmacopoeia Commissions and other international bodies in order to develop global ASU pharmacopoeial standards.