Herbal veterinary major, Natural Remedies Pvt Ltd., (NRPL), will commence the collaborative research programme on a novel herbal ectoparasiticidal product which is likely to bring down the cost of the drug to treat ectoparasites of goats and other animals.

Currently, for treating ectoparasites, ‘Pestoban’ is the only product from Natural Remedies which is priced at Rs 47 (MRP) for 100ml. However there are many other products from the non-herbal segment (chemical-pesticide type), marketed by various companies.

The research programme has been given a clearance by the department of Science and Technology, government of India under the Drugs and Pharmaceuticals Research Programme (DPRP). It might decrease the current cost of the drug and it will benefit the veterinary drug industry by providing a potent herbal ectoparasiticidal. The main objective of the research is to provide a efficacious, cost-effective, potent herbal ectoparasiticidal product, keeping in view the serious side effects of chemical drugs in this segment.

The research is designed to develop a new product, which could hopefully bring down the cost of the drug. Pestoban is a two-and-a-half decade old product. There has been a good amount of research conducted world wide to control ectoparasites. “Our research will adopt some of the new global clinical findings”, Dr. Amit Agarwal, director, research and development, Natural Remedies told Pharmabiz.com.

The programme is governed by a tripartite agreement between Natural Remedies Central Institute for Research on Goats (CIRG) and Department of Science & Technology (DST). The project is a joint collaborative research project under which part of work will be simultaneously carried out at CIRG and NRPL according to the proposed work plan. The project work has already been started with the signing of agreement on August 11, 2003. The project duration is for three years.

Although this research programme is a first of its kind for the company from DST, Natural Remedies has not teamed up in the past for such initiatives with research centres or companies, stated Dr. Agarwal.

The factors that favoured Natural Remedies to be a part of the collaborative project are its strong research base in phytochemistry, quality control and standardization of natural products (a strong point for the company). In addition, the company’s in-depth knowledge and experience in herbs for the past five decades prove to be the other positive criteria for its selection. However, Natural Remedies is not aware if other companies were in the fray for the collaborative research programme.

“The total outlay of the project is around Rs. 50 lakh and in this, we will be spending Rs. 20 lakh out of which Rs. 5 lakh will be provided to the institute (CIRG) and the remaining will be spent in our own R&D for development of this product. The total amount will be only for the research and not for developing any pilot plant facility as there is no mention of it in the project,” he informed.