Mumbai based Ipca Laboratories Limited is to announce a formal tie-up with V C P Cancer Research Foundation (VCPCRF), Dehradun, for taking up structured clinical evaluation of the Ayurvedic drugs that are being developed by the foundation. The company is also to introduce VCPCRF's time tested clinically effective drugs in a phased manner in the domestic and export markets.
As the first step, Ipca is to establish full fledged clinical research facilities, which includes a hospital in the coming months. The location of the hospital is to be Chandigarh, where VCPCRF, Dabur and Shri Dhanwantri Ayurvedic College are currently having a joint venture to train fresh Ayurvedic practitioners. The VCPCRF-Ipca venture would serve as an extension of the ongoing project and is to attempt developing diagnostic performas involving Ayurvedic and scientific methodology to generate evidence based clinical data for about 19 diseases.
Highly placed sources at Ipca confirmed the development but declined to go into the details. "We are looking forward to a mutually rewarding relationship. Though the details of the joint venture is yet to be worked out, our aim would be to clinically evaluate the efficacy of the Ayurvedic drugs and try to market it in various dosage forms", they said.
However, Vaidya Balendu Prakash, the moving spirit behind VCPCRF explained that the joint venture would give priority to commercialise "Prak - 20", a herbo-mineral compound found to be very effective in tackling childhood asthma in a big way.
He said that in-house R&D has proved that the drug shows hepatoprotective, antifibrotic, anti-inflammatory, detoxifying and anti-viral properties in liver disorders in various animal and human studies. "Prak-20 is a modified formulation of "Punarava Mandoor", described in traditional text as "sidh yoga sangraha". Studies carried out at the Foundation re-established the proven efficacy of the traditional compound by using modern research protocol and parameters. We are to develop a more potent and standardized formulation which could be commercialized with the help of Ipca", he explained.
The list of diseases for which clinical evaluation of drugs are going on include backache, chronic bronchitis, chronic fatigue syndrome, epistaxis, gastritis, duodentis, colitis, hyperlipidema, infertility, irritable bowel syndrome, liver diseases, nasal disorders, obesity, peptic ulcers, rheumatoid arthritis, stress, depression, anxiety, insomnia, urticaria, etc. Vaidya Balendu Prakash hinted that the tie-up with Ipca could include many or all of these drugs.
VCPCRF was founded in 1988 with an intention to promote in-depth research in the field of Ayurveda. The foundation has been the pioneer in the development of process controlled techniques for manufacturing metal-based Ayurvedic formulations. The foundation has been acknowledged as a Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (SIRO) by the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.