Green Chem, the herbal extract major, will ink a pact with the South African DST (Department of Science and Technology) and University of Pretoria, SA for the development of herbal monographs.

The monographs are for the South African medicinal herbs. The company is already undertaking the same for the department of Ayush.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) will be signed during the forthcoming international conference on indigenous knowledge systems to be held from April 17-20 at Gauteng Province, South Africa.

“We are planning to offer monograph standards for the traditional herbs of South Africa. It would also include the monograph standards for the various extracts  of the traditional herbs of that country,” R Rajendran, founder and CEO, Green Chem told Pharmabiz.

Further, assistance to commercialization of the herbs, manufacturing herbal extracts and cultivation of herbal plants in South Africa are also to be extended under the pact, he added.

The company would also interact with academia to assist South Africa’s  college students for projects for the masters degree. “We are already doing this in India with more than 45 colleges/universities/institutions on various projects. The required technical guidance to research scholars are extended  from our lab,” said the Green Chem chief.

“Since the company has been engaged in sponsorship of many projects to universities, laboratories, hospitals, clinical research institutes in India and abroad for pre-clinical as well as clinical studies, isolation of phyto chemicals from herbs, characterization of isolated phyto chemicals, toxicity studies among others, the South African government has called us to undertake the such initiatives on similar lines,” said Rajendran.

Last year, the company had slated an investment of over Rs. 9 crore for  infrastructure expansion. This includes a facility at Namakkal in Tamil Nadu for phyto-standards manufacture. Around Rs. 2.7 crore worth equipment has also been installed. The company is working on its new corporate office at Bengaluru where it will have an additional space of 10,000 sq feet area. At Perundurai in Erode district also in Tamil Nadu, the company received a land allotment under State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu (SIPCOT). The project which has commenced construction will be commissioned in the next 12 to 25 months, said Rajendran.

Presently, the company has 43 patents of which 19 are granted and one Japanese patent has been accepted which will be take a while to be granted, he said.

In October 2012, the company won the Pharmexcil Herbal Patents National Award 2011-12 for the fourth consecutive year. Earlier awards include Best Export Performance Award 2012 from FKCCI (Federation of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce & Industry), Bengaluru.