Over one hundred industry heads of ayurvedic drugs manufacturing companies in Kerala will attend a workshop in Thrissur on May 3 to imbibe directions by experts in drugs manufacturing and leaders of industry associations for finding out a permanent solution for the present crisis in the production and marketing of classical Ayurveda drugs in the state.
 
The workshop is organised by the Medicine Manufacturers’ Consortium wing of the Ayurveda Medical Association of India (AMAI).
 
Many of the classical drugs are not being manufactured and prescribed by doctors at present. Taking advantage of the situation, manufacturers of proprietary medicines are bringing out several varieties of patented drugs and marketed everywhere. The efficacy of these proprietary medicines are not adequately proven as those of the classical drugs. This tendency is deteriorating the reputation of the Ayurveda classical medicines. If the glory of Ayurveda is to be preserved, the efficacy proven classical drugs have to be manufactured systematically, prescribed by doctors and marketed for use as saying in the classical texts, says Dr P K Haridas, chairman of the Consortium.

“Several classical kashaayams, arishtams, thailams and lehyams are not manufactured in the classical ways by companies today because of various reasons such as non-availability of raw-drugs, increasing cost of production, decreasing prescriptions by doctors and poor demand. People are going after patented products of big companies and doctors are forced to prescribe these proprietary products. So, production of classical medicines is decreasing everyday and the manufacturers are switching over to patented items. But the situation has to be changed, and more and more classical medicines should be brought into the market”, Dr Haridas opined.

He said, until a few years ago, there were about 1300 manufacturing companies in Kerala to produce classical medicines. Today the number has decreased to less than 750, and most of them are focusing on producing their patented products. In short, production of classical Ayurveda medicines for domestic and export uses in Kerala has come down substantially for the last several years. The situation has affected the holistic treatment practices through traditional ways and the manufacturing industry as a whole.
 
The workshop will deliberate on how to tackle the present crisis occurred due to the decreasing quantity of classical drug production and save the traditional system of medicine, an own brand of Kerala. Besides, it will focus on collection of raw materials and cultivation of medicinal plants for the future.

The workshop will be inaugurated by Dr N Vimala, director-in-charge of Ayurveda drugs control, Kerala. Drs G Vinod Kumar, Rejith Anand, T A Salim, Manoj Kaloor (AMAI), Dr K Anil Kumar (Care-Keralam), Dr D Ramanathan (AMMOI), Dr Vasudevan Moos, Dr P M Warrier and Dr K Sebastian will take classes on various aspects of drugs production.