Herbal extracts major, Natural Remedies Pvt Ltd (NRPL) is all set to cash-in on its phyto-reference standards in the domestic market. The company has already created 100 phytochemical references that are endorsed as global standards and hopes to make a mark among the Indian drug manufacturers.
The company is ready to launch 12 herbal extracts to the domestic market where herbal manufacturers of cosmetics and herbal drugs can now source genuine and high quality products. With this move, the company has devised a strategy to survive in this Rs 250-crore market and stem the competition from the unorganised sector.
The herbal extracts ready for the Indian market are Bacopa monnieri: (Nir Brahmi), Curcuma longa (HaldiI), Coleus forskohli (Coleus), Phyllanthus amarus (Bhuiamla), Momordica charantia Karela), Zingiber officinalis (Sunthi), Commiphora mukul:(Guggal), Andrographis paniculata (Kalmegh), Ocimum sanctum: (Tulsi), Centella asiatica (Mandook Parni), Eclipta alba: (Bringaraja), Acorus calamus: (Vasambu) and Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha).
With the generation of data on phyto-reference standards, Natural Remedies is the first company globally to highlight the composition of individual ingredients of "Bacoside A," a major bioactive saponin mixture of Brahmi (Bacopa monnieri). Another herb, known as Tribulosin, was isolated from the extract of Gokru (Tribulus terrestris) by a unique process of bioactivity- guided fractionation using a bioassay. The findings have been accepted for publication in international journals, Anurag Agarwal, director, international marketing, Natural Remedies told pharmabiz.com
Natural Remedies is confident to stand apart in the fiercely competitive herbal extracts domestic market with its three-paged certificate of analysis, which consists of finger printing information by HPLC, HPTLC and TLC. "Currently there are no herbal extract suppliers in the country who are able to provide such details," stated Agarwal.
The company has already arranged meetings with leading herbal drug producers to convince and inform prospective customers to make a shift from the existing extract vendors and opt for quality and consistent herbal extracts to improve their end-product.
Meanwhile, the company has also made an investment of Rs 150 lakh at its research and development facility where a three-fold expansion is being made in phyto-chemistry laboratory and instrumentation analysis lab in terms of equipment purchase and area. The existing lab of 10,000 sq. ft has been increased to 16,000 sq. ft. As a part of its phytochemical reference standards project, the company will now focus on bio-assay research, stated Agarwal.
As a part of the R&D expansions, there is also a recruitment drive on where the company is augmenting its current R&D team from 50 to 60 personnel.
Natural Remedies is a reputed company in the USA, Australia, Japan, France and Germany in this field.