The Bangalore based Sami Labs Ltd. has shown interest to establish tie ups with ayurveda drug manufacturing companies for the development of herbal drugs using biotechnology.

The company has invited traditional ayurveda drug manufacturing units for the tie-up at the Global Summit 2005 on ayurveda, conducted by Vaidyaratnam Oushadhasala at Thrissur.

“Biotechnological research and development in ayurveda can evolve into an important role. We are ready to join hands with ayurveda companies for such research and production,” said Dr. Muhammed Majeed, chairman, Sami Labs Ltd. during a presentation in the conference.

“Research works are going on in a promising way and it may be possible to formulate vaccines from medicinal plants, by implementing biotechnology Sami Labs is developing herbal drugs using gene therapy and a number of herbal drugs, formulated with biotechnology are in pipeline. The products are showing good results now,” Dr. Majeed said during his talk on ‘Biotechnology in the development of modern drugs and application of modern science to ayurveda.’

The major drawback of such drugs is the non availability and non affordability in the domestic market. The toxicity and long-term impact of these drugs are not yet known. The drug on psoriasis may cure the disease, but may cause cancer in the future, according to Dr. Majeed.

Advances in modern manufacturing techniques have brought in the era of industrial ayurveda, which resulted in questionable quality in the minds of the regulatory authorities and consumers. The ayurveda companies should rise to the situation, as the drug discovery in ayurveda is in a prospering scenario at present.

A global market of about Rs. 500 crores is open for ayurveda and such tie-ups would enable the ayurveda manufacturing companies to develop globally, said industry sources.