Affordable Ayurvedic drug to fight diabetes launched; priced at Rs. 5

Bengaluru:  Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) on Monday launched BGR-34 - an anti-diabetic ayurvedic drug designed for type 2 Diabetes mellitus.

BGR-34 is developed jointly by National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and Central Institute for Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (CIMAP), the research units of CSIR at Lucknow.

BGR-34 has been economically priced at Rs. 5 per tablet as compared to latest DPP4 inhibitors globally, a joint release by NBRI and CIMAP and the manufacturer AIMIL Pharmaceuticals (India) Ltd, said.

A K S Rawat, Sr Principal Scientist of CSIR-NBRI said six crore of the adult Indian population had been found to be diabetic and there is no effective solution for diabetes as yet.

"We are sure that eminent medical professionals will recommend it to their patients suffering from type 2 Diabetes mellitus for quicker and consistent response," he said.

He said CSIR's premier research institutions have developed and established the efficacy of BGR-34.

The modern diabetes drugs are known for side-effects and toxicity while BGR-34 works by controlling blood sugar and limiting the harmful effects of other drugs, he added.

The scientists of NBRI and CIMAP joined hands in developing the drug and they had in-depth study of over 500 renowned ancient herbs and finally identified the six best herbs listed in Ayurvedic ancient texts to develop an anti-diabetic formulation.

Daya Nandan Mani, Senior Scientist of CSIR-NBRI, said Pre-clinical studies of this anti-diabetic formulation revealed significant reduction in high blood sugar level in diabetes induced experimental subjects.

Anil Kumar Sharma, Vice President (Technical) of AIMIL Pharmaceuticals (India) Ltd, said, one of the critical ingredients inhibits DPP-4 and enhances insulin secretion.

The product passed several battery of tests and showed hypoglycaemic activity in experimental subjects, he said.

For the purpose of commercial production and extended distribution, Aimil Pharmaceuticals (India) Ltd has been transferred the rights and technical know-how to produce and market it for medical use, the release said.