The Himalaya Drug Company's diabetic product 'Diabecon' which has now been banned by the Health Sciences Authority (HAS) of Singapore, comes as a shock to the company as the product has not been launched in Singapore. The company went on to confirm that the product tested in Singapore by the Health Science Authority was not supplied by Himalaya to the retailer. HSA, Singapore has not picked up products from Himalaya's authorised retailer in Singapore. The authorised dealer did not stock Diabecon because it was not among the company's list of products to be marketed in the region.

"We have not introduced this product to the Singapore market nor have we sought any approval for sale in Singapore for this product with HSA," asserted Ravi Prasad, president and CEO, The Himalaya Drug Company.

All products, which are distributed by The Himalaya Drug Company Pte Ltd, are available exclusively at Watsons stores. Himalaya products sold at Watsons strictly conform to guidelines set by the HSA.

"We always obtain necessary approval from HSA before our products are sold in the stores and Diabecon was not among them. Diethelm Singapore Pte Ltd is the authorised distributor for all Himalaya products and customers in Singapore can find this information printed on all our products approved for sale in Singapore," Prasad averred in an email interview.

"Action has been taken against the retailer in this case. HSA in conversation with us said that the case is not closed yet and the concerned retailer will be charged," added Prasad.

"To understand why some of Himalaya's formulations for the Indian market show heavy metal content, we need to first understand the process of Bhasma preparation. To elaborate, in metal-based preparations of ayurveda, the metal is not used as it is, but after subjecting it along with herbs, to a series of processing steps. The output of such a process is a fine powder, called bhasma, which is used either alone or in combination with other herbs. The preparation process is very complex, requiring specialised education, training and experience. As a result of the process of bhasma preparation, metals are rendered non-toxic and all 'free' metals are eliminated," stated The Himalaya Drug Company chief.

The bhasmas also called 'calxes of metals' are either complex oxides in the form of micro-clusters, or the metal gets converted into the monoatomic form. These monoatoms are less reactive than their metallic counterparts, and are found in nature.

"They cannot be returned to the metallic state by standard metallurgical means, and this is one of the tests in ayurvedic literature that shows if we have produced the edible form of the element. Another test for micro fineness of the particle size in the literature, describes a test that makes the bhasma powder float on water, a confirmation that the particle size is less than 10 microns; as per the law of physics any particle less than 10 microns will float on water. In Himalaya, we adopt the series of techniques and processes used in making bhasmas safe and effective," he added.

The Central Government recognises the process of bhasma and all Himalaya products including Diabecon conform to the specifications laid down by the regulatory authorities in the country.

The health and regulatory bodies of different countries stipulate different specifications for permissible limits of heavy metal content. The products meant for one country comply with all standards prescribed by the health authority in that country.

"Our products are exported to over 60 countries and we do comply with all stringent regulations of health authorities in each of these countries be that Singapore, US, UK, Switzerland or India. Our products are tested in independent laboratories to ensure their safety and efficacy. We take enormous care to produce herbal healthcare products to pharmaceutical grade standards, employing Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) and earning ISO 9001:2000 certification for excellence in manufacturing," informed Prasad.